The FIFA World Cup is a competition every nation wants to qualify for and with just eight months to go until it all gets underway, it’s time to finalise who is going to be at the big dance and who isn’t. Last night, Egypt and Senegal both attempted to move one step closer to finding out their fate in a first leg that ended with a narrow, and edgy, 1-0 triumph for the Egyptians.
Today, we’re going to take a look at a few things we learned from the encounter.
Stars fail to shine
They may have believed they were going to have the game of their lives but Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane certainly left something in the tank for the return leg. Neither man was really able to get anything going for their side and ultimately, they couldn’t impact the first leg. Still, with everything now riding on Tuesday, you’d have to think there is a moment or two of magic just waiting to be unleashed.
Cagey affair
The entire game, outside of a fourth minute own goal that handed the Pharaohs the win, was tense and tight. It actually mirrored the way in which the AFCON final panned out perfectly, although this time Senegal weren’t quite as fortunate. Both teams were anxious to pull the trigger and it really does speak to the weight of being able to qualify for the World Cup when you analyse their psychology.
Egypt’s protection
Egypt have a lead to protect going into this second leg and you can bet they’re going to defend it with their lives. We expected them to somewhat be the favourites given how close they were to success in the AFCON final, and it’s beginning to play out in real time. We can see them protecting the lead in the reverse fixture, scoring on the counter, and generally being the better of the two sides.
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