Egypt Regains Its Winning Rhythm

Egypt’s national team regained confidence with a crushing 5-0 victory over host South Sudan in the second round of Group 2 of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, while Morocco secured their second consecutive win, beating Lesotho 2-0 in Group 1. Egypt’s emphatic triumph came at the National Stadium in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, following the Pharaohs’ goalless draw with Angola in Cairo on Friday to open the qualifiers. Goals were scored by Mustafa Abdel Raouf “Zico” (36th minute), Omar Marmoush (49th and 83rd minutes), and substitutes Ibrahim Adel (75th minute) and Hamza Abdelkareem (90+2nd minute), lifting Egypt to four points at the top of the group, pending the Angola vs. Malawi match scheduled for October 6 in Luanda. Mohamed Salah was withdrawn from the squad due to the artificial turf at the stadium, according to a statement from the Egyptian Football Association issued before the match. Meanwhile, the Atlas Lions moved clear to the top of Group 1 with six points after defeating Lesotho at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Morocco dominated proceedings, creating numerous chances that failed to find the net, until Ibrahim Diaz capitalized on a simple shot to beat goalkeeper Sikwani Morani in the 45th minute. Azeddine Ounahi translated Morocco’s control into further advantage by adding a second goal in the 82nd minute, finishing off a low cross from Sofiane Rahimi. Algeria, meanwhile, fell into a draw trap, sharing the points 2-2 with host Burundi in Bujumbura in Group 9.