The North African rivals continue to dampen Egypt's hopes of reaching the 2010 World Cup, Ahmed Morsy reports After reviving their bid to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup through a deserved 1-0 win over Rwanda in a Group C qualifier played on Saturday in Kigali, continental champions Egypt got their hopes dented after Algeria's hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia in Blida on Sunday. Algeria, who now have 10 points from four games, regained their three-point lead over second-placed Egypt with two matches remaining. And Zambia, who have four points, will now be looking to hold onto their third place to reach the African Cup of Nations. Algeria will host bottom side Rwanda in a relatively easy match while Egypt will play Zambia in Lusaka on 10 October. The North African rivals will then lock horns in the last group clash in Cairo on 14 November. With a three-point and three-goal advantage over Egypt, Algeria are certainly in better position to qualify for next year's South Africa finals. In Blida, the first-half was a balanced contest, with both sides trying their luck from distance after failing to break down the opposing defence. Zambia had a goal disallowed by the referee in the 33rd minute for being offside. Rafik Saifi notched the decisive goal in the 59th minute when he was found unmarked by Karim Matmour's cross to volley home from close range. Zambia pushed forward and left huge gaps at the back, allowing Algeria to expose their backline and waste several clear-cut chances to double their lead. In Kigali, the absence of Egypt's key strikers definitely took a toll on the Pharaohs. Emad Meteb, Mido, Amr Zaki and Mohamed Zidan were out of the squad due to injuries, and in Zidan's case disciplinary measures for not wanting to play a friendly against Guinea last month. In addition, playmaker Mohamed Abu- Treika was initially included in the starting line-up but pulled out after picking up an injury in the warm-up and. A lack of cutting edge could have cost the Pharaohs a much-needed win but skipper Ahmed Hassan, who played instead of inspirational playmaker Abu-Treika, scored the winner on the 68th minute. Petrojet striker El-Sayed Hamdi made his competitive debut to partner Enppi's Ahmed Raouf up front due to the absence of Egypt's starting strikers. Limited attacking options continued to haunt coach Hassan Shehata after Hamdi sustained an injury. He was replaced with Lierse striker Mohamed El-Gabbas, who was also making his debut. The six-time African champions continued to push forward in the second half but were not helped by Raouf's listless moves and Ahmed Fathi's inaccurate crosses from the right flank. Versatile midfielder Mohamed Barakat, who was not fully fit to start the game, replaced the ineffective Raouf to revitalise the Egyptian attack. As a result, the energetic runs of Barakat and El-Gabbas helped Egypt carve out decent chances until they finally made the breakthrough eight minutes past the hour mark when Hosni Abd-Rabou's shot was diverted into the net by Hassan from five yards out. The African champions could have doubled their advantage on several occasions but were content to claim all three points and keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1990. Hassan said that his goal was a "reward from God" for his insistence on fasting while playing the game. "It was a critical match, but we managed to claim all three points," Hassan stated after the win. "The goal I scored was a reward from God because I was playing while fasting. "Observing Ramadan is a must for me, even while taking part in big games. I have got used to playing while fasting for quite a while." "Even if Algeria win, our morale won't be damaged. We will be seeking to win the next two qualifiers in all cases," Hassan added one day before Algeria's victory over Zambia. Egyptian coach Hassan Shehata described Rwanda as a big obstacle which they managed to clear and take an important step towards reaching the World Cup. "We will now concentrate on the remaining games to fulfill the fans' dreams," Shehata said. "There are some players who will provide us with a boost in the coming games when they return from injury," he added. Egypt, who have two matches remaining, are still second in Group C with seven points, three points behind leaders Algeria while Zambia have four. Assistant coach Shawki Gharib said Egypt might arrange a friendly game before meeting Zambia. Because the league will stop from 23 September to 19 October when Egypt host the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the Pharaohs will have sufficient time to prepare for the crunch qualifier in Zambia. Ghana's Black Stars became the first team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations after beating the Desert Hawks of Sudan 2-0 in a Group D clash on Sunday. A goal in each half from Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien were enough to give Ghana a 12-point lead, seven more than Mali who are in second place with five points.
