African champions Egypt failed to kick off the World Cup qualifiers final phase in a convincing fashion after being held to 1-1 draw by Zambia at Cairo Stadium on Sunday. Amr Zaki put the Pharaohs in front on 27 minutes after Egypt survived a couple of scares. Francis Kasonde secured a share of spoils 12 minutes after the restart, thanks to some slack marking from Egypt defenders. All Group C teams are now tied on one point after Algeria played out a goalless draw with Rwanda on Saturday. Tactical Switches Several Egypt players were out of position. Ahmed Fathi and Mohamed Barakat played on the left flank in an unusual 4-4-2 formation. Mohamed Zidan played as a playmaker to support strike duo Zaki and Emad Meteb. Mohamed Abou-Treika, Hosni Abd-Rabou and Mido started on the bench. Zambia relied on swift counter attacks that helped them expose Egypt's defense twice. Lone striker Jacob Mulenga almost stunned the home crowd on 13 minutes after a lapse of concentration in Egypt's backline. He latched onto a defense-splitting pass, went clear on goal and rounded keeper Essam Al-Hadari. But a last-ditch block from Fathi prevented Zambia from grabbing an unlikely lead. The visitors had another chance on 19 minutes when Felix Katongo's low shot from the edge of the area narrowly missed the target.
Zaki celebrates the opener Although Egypt dominated possession, they found it hard to break down Zambia's resilient defense. In-form right wing-back Ahmed Al-Muhammadi whipped in several pinpoint crosses but they went begging. Zaki managed to pounce on one of these crosses to give Egypt the lead in the 27th minute. The Wigan Athletic man ghosted behind his marker to side-foot Al-Muhammadi's right-wing cross past keeper Kennedy Mweene. Equalizer Egypt slowed down in the second half to allow Zambia to level the score in the 57th minute. A corner found Dennis Banda unmarked at the far post to flick the ball towards the other side. Kasonde rose unopposed to head past the static Al-Hadari and restore parity. Egypt coach Hassan Shehata introduced Abou-Treika and Mido in the second period, taking off ineffective duo Meteb and Zidan. The six-time African champions mounted a late surge but still failed to notch the decisive goal. Zambia had to thank Mweene for denying Egypt a win after the 24-year-old guardian superbly blocked a close-range shot from Abou-Treika, who was fed by Zaki. The Chipolopolo held on in the dying minutes to share points with Egypt. Watch the match's goals
