Egypt’s national team cruised to a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia on Friday in their African 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, extending their unbeaten run to five games and edging closer to securing a spot in the finals.
Egypt skipper Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 31st minute, while winger Ahmed “Zizo” El-Sayed sealed the victory five minutes before halftime.
The win solidifies the Pharaohs’ position atop Group A with 13 points after five games, five points ahead of second-placed Burkina Faso, while Ethiopia remain at the bottom with three points.
In a clear show of offensive intent, coach Hossam Hassan fielded five attackers, with Mahmoud Trezeguet and Zizo feeding Osama Faisal, Omar Marmoush and Salah.
Egypt threatened early, with Trezeguet testing the Ethiopian goalkeeper in the 3rd minute with a right-footed strike from outside the box.
Zizo then fired just wide of the post in the 13th minute, followed by Trezeguet’s wayward diving header six minutes later.
Despite Egypt’s sustained pressure, Ethiopia’s defense and goalkeeper held firm, aided by some errant finishing from the Pharaohs’ forwards.
Salah finally broke the deadlock after latching onto a precise curled through-ball from midfielder Hamdy Fathy, slotting home with his left foot past the keeper.
Defender Rami Rabia nearly made it 2-0 seven minutes later but nodded his close-range header over the bar.
Egypt sealed their dominance in the 40th minute when Salah on the right flank set up Zizo inside the box, with the latter calmly beating the keeper at the near post, to double the score for the Pharaohs.
In the second half, the Pharaohs maintained their relentless attack but were thwarted by poor finishing and misfortune.
Trezeguet made a brilliant solo effort on the left side in the 59th minute, but he was brought down in the area before he could score, with the referee waving play on.
The Ethiopian keeper denied Faisal at point-blank range, then the post thwarted Trezeguet.
Hossam Hassan introduced Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed in place of Osama Faisal to freshen his front line.
Salah scored a goal but he was ruled offside then Mohamed squandered an easy chance from inside the box to keep the score unchanged.
Egypt will next face third-placed Sierra Leone on Tuesday at the Cairo International Stadium in the next round of qualifiers.
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