Egypt open AFCON 2027 qualifiers with goalless draw against Angola

Egypt opened its AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against Angola in the first round of Group B.

• Egypt drew 0-0 with Angola in the opening match of Group B in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
• Coach Hossam Hassan said substituting Mohamed Salah was a technical decision based on the match's requirements.
• Hassan said Egypt's focus is now on Tuesday's second-round match against South Sudan, played on artificial turf, with the aim of securing qualification.
• Untelecast footage from the match showed a verbal altercation that broke out during the post-match press conference.
• Mustafa Ziko expressed disappointment over the 0-0 draw with Angola, describing the result as unsatisfactory and saying luck was absent for Egypt.
• Hossam Hassan expressed satisfaction with his players' performance in the goalless draw against Angola.
• Hossam Hassan said Salah is not injured and takes responsibility for the decision to substitute him.
• Hassan declined to comment on the dispute between Al Ahly and goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy.
• Turkish media reported Trabzonspor's relief after Hossam Hassan confirmed Salah's substitution was tactical and not injury-related.
• Hamza Abdelkrim replaced Mohamed Salah in the 61st minute and had a late scoring chance in stoppage time.
• Malawi beat South Sudan 2-1 to top Group B, leaving Egypt and Angola on one point.