Mohamed Abu Treika's first half goal helped Egypt to top Group 12 and move within a point of reaching the final phase of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Ahmed Morsy reports African champions Egypt snatched the lead of Group 12 with 12 points after pulling off a precious 1-0 victory over DR Congo in Kinshasa on Sunday in the World Cup qualifiers' first phase. Egypt need a single point from their last qualifier at home to Djibouti next month to advance to the final phase of the African qualifiers for the 2010 finals in South Africa. Egypt managed to mount a serious threat on the hosts' goal while maintaining their defensive solidity in the first half. DR Congo were dealt a major blow shortly after when striker Lomana LuaLua limped off the pitch due to injury. LuaLua, who was unlikely to take part in the match because of a thigh injury, was subsequently substituted after 12 minutes. Egypt had to do without midfielder Mohamed Shawki, one of the mainstays of the squad. The Middlesbrough man picked up a groin injury that ruled him out of the game. Mohamed Abu Treika deservedly put Egypt ahead in the 31st minute after being set up by Wigan Athletics' in-form striker Amr Zaki. Zaki robbed a defender on the edge of the area but the ball slipped to a fellow Congolese. But the determined front man dispossessed him to feed Abu Treika, who went one-on-one before coolly chipping the ball over the keeper and into the net. Egypt's strategy to keep their lead intact was highly successful in the second period. The six-time African champions kept DR Congo forwards at bay while launching some neat counter attacks. Zaki was unlucky not to double Egypt's advantage five minutes after restart when his brilliant bicycle kick cannoned off the woodwork. After their fourth win in Group 12, Egypt are in charge of the group with 12 points, three clear of DR Congo and Malawi with one match to go. Meanwhile, Malawi kept their hopes alive thanks to their 3- 0 win over Djibouti on Friday. Goals from Chiukepo Msowoya, Moses Chavula and Nyondo secured the impressive win for the visitors. The victory at the Gouled Stadium in Djibouti City took the Flames level on nine points with DR Congo. Djibouti are already out of contention for a place in the second phase of the qualifiers as they have no points after five matches. They have so far conceded 26 goals and found the net only two times. In Group 1, Cameroon became the second country to clinch a place in the second phase of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers following a 2-1 win over Cape Verde on Saturday. Tanzania ended a four-match run without a win by walloping Mauritius 4-1 in Curepipe, but are doomed to finish third in the standings with five points. Second is Cape Verde with nine points. Mauritius will finish bottom of the table as they have just one point going into their last game against Cameroon next month. In Group 2, Guinea held Zimbabwe to a 0-0 draw on Sunday. The result at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare means Guinea will meet group leaders Kenya in the last game next month to decide who wins the group. Kenya are ahead of the group with 10 points on Saturday after a 1-0 home win over Namibia in Nairobi. They need just a draw in the crucial match to win the group. Benin, in Group 3, overcame the formidable challenge of Angola on Sunday to book a place in the last phase of African qualifiers. Nigeria in Group 4, who had already made sure of their berth at the end of June, kept up their 100 percent record with a 1-0 win over World Cup hosts South Africa, who are now virtually certain to miss out on the next African Nations Cup finals. The World Cup qualifiers are also serving to determine the 16 finalists for the Nations Cup in Angola, which is being held six months before the World Cup. Libya's 1-0 win over Ghana put them in top place in Group 5 but they need a single point from their last second-round group qualifier next month to also advance. Similarly, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast need a single point each to qualify. Burkina Faso drew 0-0 at home to Tunisia in Ouagadougou on Saturday to keep up their three-point advantage in Group 9 while the Ivorians drew 1-1 in Mozambique on Sunday to stay three points clear in Group 7. In Group 6, Algeria beat Senegal 3-2 on Friday to blow the 2010 World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualification race wide open. Algeria's hard-fought victory at home in Blida moved them to the summit with nine points, ensuring an exciting finale. The result leaves the group finely poised after Gambia thrashed Liberia 3-0 on Saturday to leapfrog Senegal into second place even though both sides have eight points. In Group 8, Morocco drop to second on nine points after their game with Ethiopia was postponed. Rwanda took the lead thanks to their 1-0 away win over Mauritania on Saturday. Willy Endzanga scored a second-half winner for Congo as they beat Mali 1-0 in Brazzaville to ensure both sides share the lead in Group 10. In the group's other game played in Cairo on Saturday, Chad defeated Sudan 2-1. The first World Cup qualifier between the pair was scheduled for 31 May but after an attack on the Sudanese capital Khartoum by a Darfur rebel group, Sudan severed diplomatic relations with Chad, and Chad refused to travel to play in Khartoum. After both countries resumed relations at the end of July, FIFA arranged for the two qualifiers to be played in Egypt. In Group 11, Eritrea withdrew due to problems within the country's football association. Swaziland and Zambia share the summit of the group with four points out of three matches while Togo come third with three points and one match still to go. The 12 group winners and the best eight runners-up advance to the final qualifying phase where they will be split into five groups with the winners joining hosts South Africa at the first World Cup to be staged by Africa. The top three in every group will go to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
