Group D: Guinea Bissau 0-1 Egypt
Mohamed Salah scored his first goal in six matches for Egypt to earn them a narrow 1-0 victory in Garoua, but the Pharoahs had VAR to thank after Guinea-Bissau’s late equaliser was controversially ruled out.
Salah volleyed home from a narrow angle in the 69th minute effort to finish a flowing team move but Egypt, who lost their opening group game to Nigeria, looked to be in real trouble when Mama Baldé scored a superb equaliser for the West African minnows.
Baldé cut in from the left and fired an unstoppable shot into the far corner, but the VAR ordered the referee to consult the pitchside monitor, and Baldé was penalised for a foul on an Egyptian defender. Egypt are second in Group D with three points and face neighbours Sudan in their final group game on Wednesday.
Thank you very much for joining me. Until we meet again!
Full-time: Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Egypt
Egypt were the better team throughout but are very lucky to come away with the win. Only Salah’s brilliance separated the sides in the end. Guinea-Bissau’s disallowed goal was a cruel blow to a team who worked very hard to stay in the game. I think the referee got it wrong on that one.
90+2 mins: Egypt play a dreadful short corner which is easily cleared but Kamal curtails the breakaway.
90 mins: Four minutes added on. Despite the lengthy VAR delay we only have an extra four minutes.
88 mins: Teixeira is sent on for Camara.
VAR RULES OUT GOAL: GUINEA-BISSAU 0-1 EGYPT
84 mins: The Egypt players are fuming that Balde was not penalised for a foul. The referee goes over to look at the monitor, it shows Balde made contact with Kamal’s neck but it is certainly not a clear and obvious error. The referee overturns the decision and awards a free-kick. I think the referee has bottled it. Egypt still lead.
GOAL! Guinea-Bissau 1-1 Egypt (Balde, 82)
Holy moly! Balde gets the better of Kamal on the left touchline, before driving into the area and firing a fantastic shot across the goalkeeper and into the corner.
81 mins: Jorginho is the first to sting El-Shenawy’s palms. He receives a pass 20 yards from goal, spins and fires his shot but it is straight at the goalkeeper.
79 mins: Egypt make their own double substitution as Sherif and Fathi come on.
77 mins: Guinea-Bissau send on Leonel and Mendy to liven things up.
75 mins: Kamal dinks in a lovely cross for Zizo to volley at goal but he can only find the base of the post with his instep.
73 mins: Guinea-Bissau have not threatened the Egypt goal at any point, so they need to change something in order to get back into the match, I think.
Here is the goal ...
"The Egyptian king!" 👑
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 15, 2022
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah opens the scoring as Egypt take the lead against Guinea-Bissau 🇪🇬
📺 Watch #AFCON live on Sky Sports Football pic.twitter.com/vrw9dM7DMo
71 mins: The goalkeeper will feel he should have done better for the goal but he was surprised how good the shot was and could not react quick enough. Can Guinea-Bissau get back into this?
GOAL! Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Egypt (Salah, 69)
What a volley! Elsulya chips a ball over the defence to Salah who is moving away from goal, jumps off the ground and volleys a shot back at goal and under the goalkeeper.
67 mins: Guinea-Bissau move the ball at pace to the edge of the box but then shift it wide for a poor cross to be sent behind.
65 mins: Balde gets a rare touch of the ball in the final third, he does a lovely piece of skill to beat the defender but then barely makes a connection with his pass and it is intercepted.
Down the other end, Zizo gets the ball on the edge of the box, he makes room for a shot but then whacks a rising shot over the bar.
63 mins: Egypt are not much of a threat in the opponent’s box. Why on earth did Quieroz leave Ahmed ‘Kouka’ Hassan out of the squad? Mindboggling.
Updated
61 mins: Jorginho replaces Ambri for Guinea-Bissau.
59 mins: Trezeguet and Zizo on for Egypt. Off goes Said and Mostafa.
Updated
57 mins: Cande takes control of the free-kick on the edge of the box but he curls it over.
55 mins: Guinea-Bissau cut through Egypt but the move ends with Cassama being cleared out by an Ashraf bodycheck on the end of the box.
53 mins: Kamal sprints down the right and just about gets to the ball just in time to lift a cross into the box but it is headed clear at the near post.
51 mins: Elneny dives in on Cassama and gets a booking for catching his opponent just above the ankle.
49 mins: Egypt are very much on top in the opening stages. They are patiently building up as they look to break down Guinea-Bissau.
The latest attack ends with Mostafa heading Kamal’s cross well over the bar.
47 mins: Egypt have brought on Abdel-Moneim for El-Wensh.
Second half
Here we go again!
What happened earlier ...
Half-time: Guinea-Bissau 0-0 Egypt
Guinea-Bissau have done little more than hold on in the latter stages of the half. Egypt have been on top for the entire 45 minutes but have failed to find a breakthrough.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Elsulya surprises everyone by pinging a shot from 35 yards; it takes a deflection and goes just past a sprawling Mendes and the post. The resulting corner ends up with Salah in the box; he finds space to shoot and smartly Mendes turns it behind.
42 mins: Salah sends in a corner from the right for Mendes to punch clear from underneath his crossbar. The goalkeeper it very much a puncher rather than a catcher.
40 mins: Marmoush dribbles and ends up getting himself dizzy in the process, judging by him whacking a shot so wide it almost goes out for a throw.
A few moments later Kamal sends in another dangerous cross from the right for Mostafa to attack but Sangante gets there first to flick it clear.
38 mins: Mostafa takes aim from 30 yards but his zipping drive is straight at the keeper.
The noise in the stands has been unrelenting since kick-off. It’s nice that they’re making an effort but it is a tedious sound. Very vuvuzela-esque.
36 mins: Kamal sends in a fine cross from the right but Mostafa gets underneath it and heads the ball straight up in the air and over.
34 mins: After a VAR check for the red (it is not changed), Egypt take a tapped free-kick which is whacked into the wall. The ball eventually makes its way to Salah but he pings it high and wide from the edge of the box.
32 mins: Encada pulls down Marmoush when both chasing a ball over the top that neither will catch. The Egypt players surround the ref to demand a red card but he only shows a yellow. The Guinea-Bissau players surround Encada to call him an idiot for doing something so utterly pointless.
30 mins: Marmoush flashes a dipping shot just over the bar from about 25 yards out. A solid sign of intent from the Stuttgart man.
28 mins: Guinea-Bissau enjoy a decent spell of possession as they build up slowly before a deep cross is easily caught by El-Shenawy.
26 mins: Silva goes in the book for catching Kamal with his arm.
24 mins: Guinea-Bissau are working very hard and keeping a disciplined shape to keep Egypt at bay. When they do get the ball, they look to use it quickly and get it forward to their attackers.
22 mins: Peter Oh emails: “The population of Guinea-Bissau numbers approximately 2 million, compared to Egypt’s 102 million.
“With a Mane on the pitch and a Pele on the bench, however, they may take full advantage of the power of nominative determinism to help them overcome the odds.”
Thank God one of us has done some research.
20 mins: Cassama spends plenty of time on the deck after an arm in the face from Salah. He really overplayed it to get the Liverpool man in trouble but the referee has no interest in the complaints.
18 mins: Egypt hit the post again! They find their way into the box thanks to a fine chip from Salah, which is kept in thanks to a deft touch and then the ball is laid off to Mostafa who sidefoots his shot against the post.
16 mins: Egypt get a corner on the left. It is taken short and the attack ends with a foul from Marmoush, the original corner taker. What a waste.
14 mins: Egypt’s passing has been ruddy awful thus far. They have hit about five long-range passes straight out of play already.
12 mins: Ambri is taken down by Said around 20 yards goal to give Guinea-Bissau a free-kick in a dangerous area. Cande decides to take on the shot - he strikes it well, but it goes just over the bar.
10 mins: Ambri decides it is time Guinea-Bissau have a shot, so he pings one from about 30 yards out but it goes a long way over the bar.
8 mins: Kamal gets down the right but puts in a dreadful cross which goes over everyone and out for a throw-in on the left.
6 mins: Salah pings a crossfield ball straight out of play. Egypt might need something more dynamic from their skipper.
4 mins: It is quite an open game already as both teams need to win. Egypt currently look the more capable of taking advantage of the nature of the game.
2 mins: Salah is operating from the right, a change from the opener when Quieroz used him down the middle but he seems to think he might be more effective operate in the role he plays for Liverpool. He hits the post with his first involvement of the match, cutting in from the right and pinging it against the base of the goal.
Kick-off!
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Nigeria progress after beating Sudan
Nigeria recorded a comfortable 3-1 win over Sudan in Garoua to stay top of Group D, ensuring that they progress to the knockout phase with a second successive victory.
An early goal from Samuel Chukwueze provided a positive start and Taiwo Awoniyi netted their second on the stroke of half-time. It took Moses Simon just 30 seconds of the second half to add a third, but Sudan pulled a goal back with a fortuitous penalty, converted by Walieldin Khedr with 20 minutes left.
Updated
This only Panutche Camara second appearance for Guinea-Bissau after making his debut against Sudan in their Afcon opener.
The Plymouth man tweeted after first cap: “9 minutes 9 minutes! 01/11/2022 the most special day for me as a football player.
“The day that I debut for the first time for my country, the country where I was born and raised, I just have to thank God for this moment and all of you for the messages of support thank you!”
The 24-year-old has represented Dulwich Hamlet, Crawley and Plymouth in England.
Liverpool are certainly missing Salah. Jonathan Wilson explains why Afcon deserves the Premier League’s respect.
Plymouth’s Panutche Camara starts for Guinea-Bissau, while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny play for Egypt. It might be an early indication of which team is the favourite to win.
Starting lineups
Guinea Bissau: Jonas Menes, Encada, Cande, Bura, Sori Mane, Sangante, Cassama, Camara, Ambri, Piqueti, Mama Balde
Egypt: El-Shenawy, Kamal, El-Wensh, Hegazi, Ayman, Elsulya, Elneny, Elsaid, Salah, Marmoush, Mostafa
Updated
Some fine Afcon content from your main man Nick Ames.
Preamble
Egypt need a win after losing their opening Afcon fixture to Nigeria. Mohamed Salah is, needless to say, the key man for his team and he will be looking to improve on what he showed against Nigeria.
Guinea-Bissau fared slightly better by earning a point against Sudan but they feel they should have taken the maximum. They have some issues relating to Covid with goalkeeper Maurice Gomis ruled out but fellow custodian Jonas Mendes is back after recovering from the virus. They will be missing coach Baciro Cande and forward Joseph Mendes after they tested positive.
Egypt lost both full-backs against Nigeria, leaving Carlos Quieroz with a headache or two going into this match. On the upside, he will have Amr El-Sulaya available following his calf injury, which is a boost to the Egypt midfield. The former Manchester United assistant is under plenty of pressure already, so needs a win here.
Let’s hope for a cracker.
