Egypt on Friday opened the Africa Cup of Nations by beating outsiders Zimbabwe 1-0 in Cairo, providing relief for Mohamed Salah, the host nation and the continent’s soccer bosses.
Midfielder Trezeguet scored the goal just before halftime, when he weaved in from the left wing, played a one-two with Ayman Ashraf, wrong-footed two defenders and shot into the right corner of the net.
Egypt surged forward at the start, but wasted chances and did not find Zimbabwe an easy proposition as the game wore on.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Salah set up two of those opportunities in the first two minutes. Egypt’s star player also had two good opportunities in the second half to score, but was denied by goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda and then substitute goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze.
The misses did not cost Egypt, who secured the opening victory they craved.
Trezeguet said that the win was important, not the number of goals.
“We are trying to satisfy Egyptians by winning the title,” he said.
There was also relief for organizers after the match went off without any serious problems.
Egypt is hosting its first major sporting event since the 2011 uprising that toppled former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and led to years of violence and civil unrest that is still being felt.
Egypt has put in place a vast security plan for the month-long tournament, which is the first African Cup to be increased from 16 to 24 teams.
The nation is also battling an insurgency on the Sinai Peninsula and there was a bomb blast last month near the famous pyramids outside Cairo.
Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown by the army, collapsed and died in a Cairo courtroom this week, putting the nation further on edge.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi attended the game and gave a speech before an opening ceremony, which centered on replica pyramids standing on the field that were lit up by laser lights as fireworks went off around them.
Egypt over the next month is hoping to focus the world’s attention on its rich history rather than its recent troubles in an attempt to boost a tourism industry that has suffered during the turmoil.
There was also a picture of unity among Egyptians inside the packed Cairo International Stadium, which was at its 75,000 capacity. Fans stood together, waved Egyptian flags and held up posters of national hero Salah, one of them showing him wearing a slick tuxedo.
Salah with Liverpool scored in the final to win the UEFA Champions League, and now hopes for a joyous end to the season by helping Egypt back to the summit of African soccer on home soil.
Egypt are record seven-time Africa Cup champions, but won the last of their titles in 2010.
The unrest also affected the national team and they failed to even qualify for the next three tournaments. Salah helped lead Egypt back to the final two years ago, when they lost to Cameroon.
The Confederation of African Football would have been glad that focus had reverted to the field.
FIFA on the eve of the continent’s top tournament announced that it was stepping in to clean up the confederation, which has been plagued by allegations of corruption and other misconduct against its president, and is an organizational mess.
The president in question, Ahmad, sat next to FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the game. The two did not appear to talk much.
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