Coached by Egypt's star striker and former national team player Hossam Hassan, Masri of Port Said decidedly beat Nigerian contender Ifeanyi Ubah 3-0 on penalty kicks, making up for their 1-0 first leg loss two weeks ago. Masri goalkeeper Ahmed Buska blocked two penalty kicks after the game finished 1-1 on aggregate. Masri scored its sole goal in the 25th minute through forward Ahmed Shoukri. It also lost a number of chances to increase the score. The game was played in neighbouring Ismailia because of security concerns. Though spectators have been banned in Port Said since the football riot of 2012 which killed 72 spectators, this week's game had a sizeable number of Masri supporters who made the trip from Port Said to Ismailia, celebrating the victory till the early hours of the morning. That fans were let in to the game could be a sign of security measures starting to relax. “I am very proud and satisfied with the result,” Masri coach Hossam Hassan said. “We did our best and I have to send a special thanks to the Port Said fans who backed their team and had it regain its confidence. I am sure we will be able to proceed to the semis as the players are determined to win.” Masri will face Malian side Djoliba in the second Confederation Cup round of 32. Masri Chairman of FC IfeanyiUbah Chuma Ubah said he was satisfied with his players' performance “as it showed they did their best”. Ubah, who regretted that his players could not maximise the opportunities which came their way in their first-leg match, said he was confident his players could do better “but this is football”. “Congratulations to Masri players who deserved to win. We played well and my players are experienced enough but unfortunately we could not utilise the chances,” he said. Meanwhile, according to cafonline, Mali announced its squad for the 2017 under-20 African Cup of Nations which will be held in Zambia from 26 February to 12 March. The 21-man squad included eight foreign-based players to play in Group A against championship hosts Zambia, Egypt and Guinea in Lusaka. Despite calling up eight foreign-based players, the team's 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup star Ally Malle will not join his teammates after Spanish La Liga club Granada refused to release the player for the tournament. However, the team's top scorer Sadiki Maiga will be with the team. Maiga was Mali's top scorer at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile with three goals as his team finished second after losing to Nigeria 2-0. The top four teams will qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea.
