Four days after a 0-0 draw with Angola in Cairo, Egypt looked like a different side. On Tuesday in Juba, Hossam Hassan’s Pharaohs thrashed South Sudan 5-0 on matchday two of Group B. Without Mohamed Salah.
Mostafa Zico opened the scoring in the 36th minute from an Ahmed Fatouh cross. Starting in place of the captain, Omar Marmoush made it 2-0 just after the break, played through by Mohanad Lashin. Substitute Ibrahim Adel added a third, Marmoush grabbed his second, and Barcelona youngster Hamza Abdelkarim wrapped it up in stoppage time. His first senior goal for Egypt. For Marmoush, on loan at Tottenham from Manchester City, it ended a long drought: he had not scored for Egypt since March. Put simply, the night did everyone some good.
Salah missing, Hassan under pressure
Salah’s absence is the talking point. According to the Egyptian federation, quoted by The National, he was allowed to sit the game out to avoid injury on Juba’s artificial pitch. Other outlets link his departure to tension over Hassan’s comments about goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. The coach spoke of « personal reasons », then added: « It is not right for a country of 120 million people for the national team to depend on one player. »
On four points, Egypt go top of the group for now, pending Malawi v Angola on October 6. Next up is a friendly against South Africa in Cairo on October 4. With or without Salah?