For the first time in Mohamed Salah's career, Egypt have beaten Senegal to move one game away from a place at the 2022 World Cup.
Just weeks after the dramatic African Cup of Nations final between two of the biggest heavyweights in the African game, both sides met again in a battle to head to this year’s World Cup. Mane’s Senegal emerged victorious in Cameroon to finally win his country the AFCON title following a dramatic penalty shootout.
But here it was a different story. A fourth-minute own goal by Senegal goalkeeper Saliou Ciss was enough to give Egypt a first-leg 1-0 win Cairo.
READ MORE: FA's empty gesture is obvious but they already know truth about Liverpool vs Man City
READ MORE: Paul Pogba has just told Manchester United why they're so far behind Liverpool
Ciss was unlucky when a shot from Salah bounced back off the bar, hit him on the back and bounced in. Egypt dominated the first-half and, as a result, it wasn’t until the 36th minute before Mane's first real sight of goal arrived.
However, the Reds forward fired high and wide over Mohamed El Shenawy's goal. Despite dominating possession in the second-half, Mane’s side were unable to make their dominance count, with Aliou Cisse’s side also finding clear-cut chances hard to come by.
So it is first blood to Egypt in this titanic tussle for a place in this year's World Cup. The second-leg will take place on Tuesday night, and is set to be played in the new 50,000-seater stadium in the Senegal city of Diamniadio.
