Egypt’s captain Mohamed Salah netted a brilliant goal in the 70th minute, earning a 1-1 draw for his team against Guinea-Bissau in Monday’s World Cup qualifier.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah equalized after Mama Balde put Guinea-Bissau ahead in the 42nd minute, resulting in the Pharaohs dropping their first points in the qualifiers.
Despite the draw, Egypt remains atop Group A with ten points, four points clear of second-placed Guinea-Bissau.
Third-place Burkina Faso, with four points, will host Sierra Leone later on Monday.
The Pharaohs delivered a lackluster performance in the first half, with coach Hossam Hassan reverting to a classic 4-3-3 formation and deploying Pyramids FC fullback Mohamed Hamdi on the left flank.
Hamdi had missed Egypt’s 2-1 win over Burkina Faso on Thursday, where Hossam Hassan utilized a 3-5-2 formation to compensate for the lack of a left back in the squad.
The first half was uneventful, aside from an early injury to Egypt striker Mostafa Mohamed, who was substituted in the 15th minute by Enppi frontman Ahmed Amin.
The only significant event in the first half was Guinea-Bissau’s goal, scored by Olympique Lyon forward Mama Balde three minutes before halftime.
Balde capitalized on a poorly cleared ball by Rami Rabie, scoring from close range.
In the second half, Hossam Hassan made further changes, introducing midfielder Emam Ashour in place of right back Mohamed Hani, while winger Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed took over on the right flank.
These modifications improved the Pharaohs’ performance, and they began to pose a threat to the hosts.
Trezeguet and Ashour unleashed powerful shots in the 55th and 56th minutes, respectively.
Salah had an opportunity in the 64th minute, but his shot from the edge of the area sailed over the crossbar.
In the 70th minute, Salah cut inside the area and sent a well-placed shot to level the score.
He nearly secured a last-minute winner, but his effort was blocked by the Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper, denying the Pharaohs the chance to maintain their perfect record in the qualifiers.
The Pharaohs will resume their World Cup qualifying campaign in March.
