By Mohamed Yossry
Cairo (Reuters) -Egypt’s Zizo scored in first-half stoppage time as they beat Sierra Leone 1-0 on Tuesday to extend their lead at the top of their World Cup qualifying group.
Zizo scored from close range as Hossam Hassan’s unbeaten side moved to 16 points with their fifth win in six games in Group A, five ahead of Burkina Faso in second.
Sierra Leone are third with eight points.
The top team in each of the nine groups earns a place at the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while the four best runners-up enter an arduous inter-continental playoff campaign for one further berth.
“We are top of the group, unlike the surprises that are happening in African football (in other groups).
I thank the players,” Hassan told a press conference.
The home side dominated, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah missing an early chance, shooting over the bar in the 15th minute after exchanging passes with Omar Marmoush.
After that, Manchester City’s Marmoush had a chance after receiving a backheel pass from Salah, but he lacked accuracy with his shot.
The home fans at Cairo International Stadium were getting frustrated with the missed chances, before Trezeguet set up Zizo to give Egypt the lead.
The playmaker scored for the second consecutive game, having netted against Ethiopia on Friday.
Egypt’s Marwan Ateya hit the post early in the second half, while Sierra Leone relied on counter-attacks, leaving Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy largely untroubled.
Marmoush made a strong run down the left before finding Salah in the box, but his low shot went wide.
Marmoush then squandered a great opportunity to make it 2-0 when he passed the ball instead of shooting from inside the box.
“Four matches remain, two of which are against direct opponents for the World Cup spot.
We are taking it game by game,” the 58-year-old Hassan added.
Egypt will host Ethiopia before facing Burkina Faso in September, followed by matches against Djibouti and Guinea-Bissau in October.
(Reporting by Mohamed Yossry in CairoEditing by Toby Davis)
