Hosni Abd-Rabou scored from the spot to earn Egypt a 1-0 win over Mali on Thursday as the Pharaohs continue their warm-up games ahead of the African Cup of Nations. Egypt's display was far from impressive but they were able to secure a victory over one of Africa's best sides. Egypt crushed Namibia 3-0 in Egypt on Saturday in their first friendly for the competition, starting from January 20th to February 10th. Hassan Shehata's side will play Angoal in Lisbon in their last warm-up game on Sunday. The title holders looked better in the first-half in terms of possession but couldn't score, with Emad Meteb and Mohamed Zidan betting too much on their individual skills. Four minutes before the break Amr Zaki was fouled in the area and Abd-Rabou converted an ice-cool penalty kick home. The Malians responded in the second-half and Frederic Kanoute slammed the ball wide with the goal at his mercy before the bar denied a decent header 10 minutes before the final whistle. Meteb could have doubled the lead but he blasted the ball over the bar after getting rid of the last defender. Mali ended the game with only 10 men on the pitch as a midfielder was shown the red card in the 81st minute for a tough tackle on Mohamed Shawky.
