Long time no see

By Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
Though North African neighbours, the last time Egypt played Libya in football was 1978. As far as the standard of the teams goes, little has changed. Egypt easily crushed Libya 4-0 in an African Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday, making it 12 wins against Libya in their head-to-head encounters against one win and one draw.
The last time the two teams met was in the 1978 All-African Games in Algeria. Egypt won that game 1-0. But a player brawl afterward prompted Egypt to withdraw from the competition, protesting to the Algerians that they had not provided adequate protection for its players.
In Sunday's affair in Cairo, the Egyptians completely dominated the inexperienced Libyan side which played the entire game without getting a single shot on goal. Libya's best chance came in the opening minute when a cross from the right found striker Gehad Al-Montasser unmarked in the area. But his shot sailed over Egyptian goalkeeper Nader El-Said's crossbar.
Veteran defender Ibrahim Hassan opened the scoring in the 27th minute -- his second international goal in two weeks -- followed by a pair from Turkish-based midfielder Ahmed Hassan in the 46th and 63rd minutes. Abdel-Sattar Sabri sealed the win in the 67th minute from the penalty spot.
Egypt's striker Hossam Hassan, who boosted his world record to 152 caps, failed to score for the third successive match. Hassan is trying to break another world record for most international goals scored. He trails Hungarian Fernec Puskas' 83 strikes by seven goals.
The win kept Egypt atop Group Seven with three wins in three games for a perfect nine points. It beat the Ivory Coast 1-0 in September and Sudan 1-0 in October. The second-leg against Libya is to be played on 25 March, followed by Sudan in Cairo on 1 June and the Ivory Coast in Abidjan on 17 June. Group member Ivory Coast had its match against Sudan in Abidjan postponed until Saturday following an attempted coup in the west African country earlier in the week.
Thirteen other qualifying matches were played over the weekend which saw 11 home victories and two for the guests. There were runaway wins not just for Egypt but Liberia as well, while Morocco impressed with an away triumph in Tunisia in a major coup for its new coach Humberto Coelho, previously in charge of his native Portugal. The biggest upset came against Zimbabwe on their home match against unknown Lesotho.
Algeria, Burkina Faso and Kenya were other winners, but after the halfway stage, the contest for the 14 places in next year's finals in Mali is still far from decided.
In Group One, Namibia drew with Madagascar at Windhoek 2-2 and in the same group Nigeria beat Zambia 1-0. Nigeria stayed top of the group with seven points, winning twice and drawing once. A fan was shot dead outside the Lagos stadium before the game. The supporter was shot in the head when police intervened to control fans trying to grab free T-shirts and other promotional items handed out by a local brewer.
In Group Two veteran James Debbah returned to Liberia to score twice in its 5-1 thumping of Congo in Monrovia as player-coach George Weah turned provider on the pitch. Liberia's victory enhances its chances of a second appearance at the African Nations Cup finals.
South Africa, the continent's top-ranked country, was held to an embarrassing 1-1 draw in Mauritius. However, the Fafana Boys still top their group with seven points, winning twice and tying once. While South Africa finished first, second and third in the previous three Nations Cup tournaments, Liberia has qualified only once and made a timid first-round departure from the 1996 finals.
In Group Three Kenya beat Gabon 2-1 in Nairobi whereas Morocco impressively beat Tunisia 1-0. Abdel-Jilil Hadda scored Morocco's winner in Tunisia just after half-time. It was the first home Nations Cup qualifying defeat for the Tunisians in 12 years. Morocco topped the group with six points, winning twice and losing once.
In Group Four Algeria beat Burundi 2-1 in Algiers and Burkina Faso edged Angola 1-0 in Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso heads the group with seven points, winning twice and drawing once followed by Algeria with five points.
Group Five saw Uganda draw 1-1 with Senegal in Kampala and Togo tie 0-0 draw in Guinea which left it atop the group with six points.
In Group Six, Lesotho sprang the biggest upset of the qualifiers when a late penalty gave it a 2-1 win away to Zimbabwe. The result set the tiny mountain kingdom on course for a first appearance in the finals. Lesotho, once regarded as lightweights, now heads the group after its success in Bulawayo, with five points, winning once and drawing twice. The three points kept Lesotho ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana, both former champions, and Zimbabwe, in the standings.
In Kinshasa, DR Congo took advantage of a poor defence to revive its hopes with a 2-1 win over Ghana. Ghana's Black Stars dominated the remainder of the game but failed to finish numerous opportunities. The visitors finally scored in injury time through Stephane Mpiah.
Group winners and runners-up will qualify for the finals along with hosts Mali and holders Cameroon.
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