An early penalty from Magdi Afsha gave an otherwise disjointed Egypt side a 1-0 victory over Angola in their opening Group F game of the World Cup qualifiers in Cairo on Wednesday. The Ahly playmaker dispatched a fifth-minute spot kick that proved the difference in a drab affair in which Egypt never really clicked into gear at the Air Defence Stadium. The match took place behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions, with Egypt struggling to stamp their authority against a lively Angola side. The absence of Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah, who would have had to quarantine for 10 days on his return to England had he featured in the game, deprived Egypt of its most lethal weapon upfront. Zamalek's Ahmed Zizo replaced Salah on the right flank while natural right winger Hussein El-Shahat occupied the other wing, but neither carried out the kind of tasks Salah usually accomplishes behind the lines. Egypt still got the job done to move level on three points with Libya, who snatched a last-gasp 2-1 home win over Gabon in the other group game. The Pharaohs, who are seeking to reach the World Cup for a second successive time, next meet Gabon away from home on Sunday. Early lead Although Angola started brightly, wasting a third-minute chance when Vladimiro Antonio fired just wide after a half-hearted defensive clearance fell into his path, it was Egypt who went ahead two minutes later. An Angolan defender clattered into Egypt's left-back Ahmed Fatouh and the referee instantly pointed to the spot, with Afsha's powerful effort going beyond the despairing dive of keeper Hugo Marques. Egypt failed to build on their lead, producing an error-strewn first half littered with too many mis-placed passes and miscued clearances. Angola were unlucky not to equalise in the seventh minute when Fabio Abreu failed to beat keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi in a one-on-one following a through pass from Vladimiro Antonio. Egypt remained on the back foot, with Angola moving the ball around smoothly and probing the hosts' defence. The seven-time African champions created their only meaningful chance on the stroke of halftime when lone striker Mohamed Sherif ran onto a threaded pass from Afsha, cut inside his challenger and sent a curling shot just over the bar. Egypt slightly improved in the second half, with the introduction of Pyramids FC duo Ramadan Sobhi and Abdallah El-Said injecting some zeal. However, they only managed to create a couple of half-chances, with a deflected shot from Afsha almost wrong-footing Marques and a free header from defender Mahmoud El-Wensh going straight into the hands of the keeper. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
