…As Mo Salah Watched from Stand
Egypt, who had booked their berth to the 2026 World Cup, on Wednesday, rested captain Mohamed Salah but still finished their Group A campaign unbeaten as they overcame Guinea Bissau 1-0 in Cairo.
The lone goal of the match came in the 10th minute from Pyramids FC fullback Mohamed Hamdi, who scored with a well-placed header.
Hamdi’s former teammate Ibrahim Adel nearly doubled the lead with a header that narrowly missed. That was six minutes after the first goal.
Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed also came close, his header striking the crossbar.
In the second half, Hassan introduced further substitutes including Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Eid, and Hossam Abdel-Meguid.
Although the Pharaohs dominated the game, the score line never changed.
Egypt won eight of their 10 group games to finish with 26 points with Burkina Faso finishing second in the standings, five points adrift of leaders Egypt.
The Stallions concluded their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Ethiopia in Ouagadougou with a hat-trick from Scotland-based attacker Pierre Kabore.
By Maxwell Kumoye – Sports Editor