Substitute Mostafa Mohamed’s late equalizer salvaged a 1-1 draw for Egypt away to Gabon in a 2022 World Cup Group F qualifier on Sunday, cancelling out a beautiful finish from Jim Allevinah.
Poor defending from Pharaohs backline allowed Gabon to process the ball inside the area where they interchanged some passes, with Allevinah slotting into the bottom corner.
The result moved Egypt top of Group F on four points one behind second-placed Libya who can move top if they beat Angola on Tuesday.
The opening half produced very little in terms of goalmouth action with neither side able to fashion any clear-cut chances which resulted in the stanza ending 0-0.
Gabon took the game by the scruff of the neck at the start of the second 45 and made their dominance count with the opening goal on the 73rd courtesy of a strike from Allevinah, 1-0.
The goal came two minutes after Omar Gaber was sent off for a second bookable offense in an occasion that decreased Pharaohs winning chances.
Egypt, though, fought back and managed to find an equalizer in the 90th minute thanks to a clinical finish from Mohamed, 1-1.
Neither team could find the winner in the additional minutes of the tie as the match ended all-square.
Hossam El-Badry, the Egypt coach, was satisfied with the result given that they played one man down in the last quarter of an hour or so.
“I’m fully satisfied with the game’s result, especially given the red card,” El-Badry told ONtime sports.”We had to make attacking substitutions towards the end. A risk was needed.
“We faced many difficult circumstances during the last period but we earned a positive result,” El-Badry added.
Gabon will next face Angola in back-to-back qualifiers while Egypt will square it with Libya in home and away matches in October.
How they lined up:
Gabon: Mezui; Oyono, Ecuele Manga, Ndong, Obiang, Kanga (Allevinah 67′), Poko, Lemina, Bouanga, Boupendza (Ngouali 81′), Aubameyang.
Egypt: El Shenawy; Ashraf (Mohsen 83′), Al-Wensh, Hegazy, Tawfik (El Mohamady 73′), Fathi (El Said 77′), El Soulia, Gaber, Magdi Kafsha (Mostafa 77′), Salah, Sherif.
