Zambia came from behind to force a 1-1 draw with Egypt at Cairo Stadium on Sunday as the 2010 World Cup-African Nations Cup qualifying shocks continued.
Wigan striker Amr Zaki put the “Pharaohs” ahead on 27 minutes only for defender Dennis Banda to equalize early in the second half.
The shock result at the 70,000-seat national stadium in the Egyptian capital came 24 hours after unexpected victories for Togo and Gabon in Group A.
PHOTO: EPA
Such was the embarrassment of riches at the disposal of coach Hassan Shehata that he could afford to leave midfield stars Mohamed Aboutraika and Hosny Abd Rabou and Wigan striker Mido on the substitutes bench.
Aboutraika and Mido were introduced after Zambia levelled but could not turn the tide as the Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) grew in stature to hold Egypt.
Rwanda and Algeria drew 0-0 in Kigali on Saturday in the other Group C match leaving the four contenders with one point each.
A first-minute goal from striker Prince Tagoe on Sunday earned Ghana a 1-0 victory over Benin in Kumasi and top place in Group D after Sudan and Mali drew 1-1 on Saturday.
Meanwhile Mozambique had two goals disallowed when held 0-0 by Nigeria on Sunday.
Striker Dario Monteiro was the unluckiest player on the Machava Stadium pitch in Maputo as he netted twice during the first half only to be ruled offside each time.
While the Mozambican Mambas did not protest too much when an early Monteiro header was disallowed, the decision of the Eritrean match officials to disallow another goal strirred unhappiness.
Mozambique looked more likely to break the deadlock before a sell-out 35,000 crowd while Nigeria defended solidly throughout.
While Mozambique applied most of the first half pressure, Obafemi Martins had a good chance to break the deadlock when he burst through only to be thwarted by goalkeeper Joao Kapango.
There was another scare for the Mambas when an Ikechukwu Uche header had to be cleared off the line.
The second half offered less drama with Mozambique on top territorially while a Obinna Nsofor shot from the edge of the penalty area drew a superb reflex save from Kapango.
Didier Drogba scored two goals on Sunday, captaining the Ivory Coast to a 5-0 win over Malawi in their opening World Cup qualifier. The game was marred by the deaths of 22 fans in a stampede.
The Chelsea striker, who missed the first six qualifiers due to a knee injury, converted a seventh-minute penalty and followed up with a 27th-minute goal as the Elephants romped home in Abidjan in their Group E opener.
The Ivory Coast went a goal ahead in the first-minute through a goal from Christian Koffi Ndri before Drogba’s double ensured a 3-0 half-time lead. Salomon Kalou added a fourth midway through the first half before Bakary Kone completed the rout.
The Ivorians share top place with Burkina Faso.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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