Egypt top Arab Cup group thanks to fair play points after thrilling draw against Algeria

Egypt drew with Algeria in the final group stage game of the FIFA Arab Cup to secure their spot on top of Group D and in the quarters against Jordan.

There was very little separating both teams going into the game as they both topped their group with six points and were equal goal difference and equal fair play points.

Egypt were handed a tough blow very early on after Ayman Ashraf went down due to injury and was subbed-off for Mostafa Fathi in the ninth minute.

The Pharaohs were more dominant in terms of possession in the opening minutes but didn’t threaten Rais M’Bolhi’s goal.

Then in the 20th minute, against the run of play, Algeria took the lead. Youcef Belaili’s poorly taken freekick still found Mohamed Tougai inside the penalty area, whose shot was deflected by Ahmed Fatouh and found the back of the net.

Adding insult to injury, Egypt center-back Ahmed Hegazi suffered an injury ten minutes later and had to be stretched out off the pitch and replaced by Bank Al Ahly defender Ahmed Yassin.

Egypt kept relying on crosses for the remainder of the first half, trying to find Marwan Hamdi inside the penalty area but failed to convert any of their chances.

The Fennec Foxes started the second-half on the right foot after a brilliant run from Youcef Belaili as he managed to dribble past two defenders before putting the shot wide.

Algeria were then awarded a freekick on the edge of the penalty area in the 50th minute, and Yacine Brahimi struck it perfectly but it hit the side netting.

Nine minutes later Egypt were awarded a penalty kick after Tougai fouled national team captain Amr El-Sulya inside the penalty area. The latter stepped up to take it and managed to squeeze it under M’Bolhi’s arms to bring the scores back level.

In the 73rd minute, Mostafa Fathi took a long-range shot but just missed the target.

By the 90th minute, both teams had received three bookings meaning that if the game were to end in a draw the team topping the group would have to be decided by a coin toss.

In the 92nd minute, however, El-Arabi Soudani received a yellow card to give Egypt the advantage in the fair play points.

Then, 18-year-old Yacine Titraoui received a direct red card after a dangerous tackle on Mohanad Lashin to seal the deal for the Pharaohs.

Following the draw, both Egypt and Algeria sit top of the group with seven points with the same goal difference; however, the Pharaohs snatched the top spot thanks to the fair play points.

Egypt will now face Jordan in the quarter-finals, with the winning team facing Oman or Tunisia in the semis. Meanwhile, Algeria will be up against neighbours Morocco.