Egypt opened their World Championship campaign in style, securing a comprehensive 34-20 victory over North African rivals Algeria in Doha on Friday. It looked as though it would be a close contest in the early stages but Egypt outplayed the African champions after the first 10 minutes, rapidly widening the gap to go the locker room with a 17-9 lead. Egypt goalkeeper Karim Hendawi excelled in the first half, pulling off a string of fine saves to thwart Algeria as the Pharaohs took control. Ahmed El-Ahmar, one of Egypt's most prominent stars, had a subdued first half but put in a superb display in the second, scoring four goals. The Zamalek man, who will turn 31 later this month, was named man of the match. Egypt maintained a firm grip in the latter stages to secure a convincing win as they bid to reach the knockout phase for the second straight time, having been eliminated at the last-16 stage in the 2013 World Championship in Spain. Egypt next face European heavyweights France in their second Group C game on Sunday. The group also includes Sweden, Iceland and the Czech Republic. (For more sports news andupdates, followAhramOnlineSports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand onFacebookatAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/120488.aspx
