Egypt U23 national team have put one foot in the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations following a 2-0 victory over Zambia in Cairo.
The Young Pharaohs had reached the third and final round of the 2023 U-23 AFCON qualifiers after beating Eswatini 1-0 on aggregate in the second round.
As a result, they were drawn against Zambia for a spot in Morocco, with the first-leg taking place in Cairo, before meeting a week later in Ndola.
Rogério Micale’s men dominated the first-half, but failed to find the back of the net, before Ibrahim Adel missed a clear-cut chance in the 54th minute.
The Egyptians kept dominating the game and finally managed to break the deadlock in the 73rd minute through Ibrahim Adel.
A great teamwork play ended with Al Ahly’s Ahmed Nabil Kouka squaring the ball to Pyramids star Adel, whose first-time effort from outside the box found the back of the net.
With just two minutes left on the clock, Egypt made it two through substitute and El-Mahalla striker Abdelrahman Atef, who headed in Emad Mayohub’s cross from close range.
The Egyptians now take a two-goal lead to Zambia, where they will play the return-leg on Sunday, March 26 at 15:00 CLT.
