AFCON Round-up as Mohamed Salah strikes again for Egypt while the hosts Morocco were held by Mali in 1-1 draw.
Afcon roundup: Mohamed Salah strikes again as 10-man Egypt hold off South Africa.
at their Africa Cup of Nations Group B match at Agadir, 10-man Egypt defeated South Africa 1-0 with to a penalty kick from Mohamed Salah in the first half, making them the first side to advance to the competition’s knockout stages.
Egypt can’t finish outside of the top two in the group with six points from their first two games. After two games, South Africa has three points.
When South African defender Khuliso Mudau clipped Salah in the face during a struggle for the ball, Salah got the penalty and calmly converted for his second goal of the competition.
After South Africa was denied a penalty for handball after a protracted video assistant referee assessment, Egypt lost right-back Mohamed Hany to a red card for a brutal stamp at the conclusion of the first half and had to contend with waves of raids in the second half.
Lassine Sinayoko’s penalty kick in the second half saved Mali’s 1-1 draw, preventing the hosts Morocco from securing their place in the round of 16 in Rabat. Brahim Díaz’s penalty kick deep into extra time in the first half gave Morocco the lead.
After 64 minutes, Mali received their own penalty following a video assistance referee check when Sinayoko was upended without making a mistake. Díaz won the penalty with a nice chunk of individual work before Nathan Gassama handled in the area. Mali and Zambia each have two points, while Morocco leads Group A with four.