5 things we learned from first legs of the last African World Cup qualifying ties

Four Arab teams were in action on Friday in the first leg of Africa’s World Cup play-offs. A place in the biggest tournament on the planet is now just 90 minutes away. Here are five things we learned at Arab News.

1. Despite narrow win, Egypt on course for revenge

After last month’s African Cup of Nations final, which Senegal won on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes, this was always going to be a tight game. The goal came early and it was the result of a moment of quality from Egypt. A lovely pass from Amr El-Sulya found Mohamed Salah in a crowded area and an instinctive shot from the Liverpool star came back off the bar and went in off defender Saliou Ciss.

Both teams had chances in front of 75,000 fans in Cairo but they now go to Senegal for the return match. Anything could happen, but with away goals still in use in Africa and Carlos Queiroz on the sidelines Egypt will fancy their chances. The coach is adept at keeping things tight as he demonstrated at AFCON when his team conceded just two goals in the entire tournament.

The former Real Madrid manager won’t care about entertainment value at all on Wednesday, he will be all about getting that clean sheet. Senegal could face a frustrating evening in front of their own fans and that is exactly what Egypt will be aiming for, now they have something to protect.

2. Algeria not repeating recent mistakes

The pressure was on Algeria and coach Djamel Belmadi ahead of the trip to Cameroon. The 1-0 win was what they needed, not just to put the North Africans into a good position for the second leg, but to restore confidence and optimism after the dreadful African Cup of Nations tournament. Algeria entered the tournament as defending champions and favourites, only to