The Pharaohs took one step closer to Qatar 2022 as they emerged victorious against a visiting Gabon to make it to the final round of the African Qualifiers.
The match was won 2-1 by Egypt on the back of a clinically-taken spot-kick by Mohammed Magdy and an own-goal inflicted by Gabonese left-back Johann Obiang, while Jim Allevinah remained the sole scorer for the visitors.
While the hosts were all smiles post their narrow victory, Borg El Arab Stadium was witness to some bizarre behaviour between the Gabonese players, all of whom seemed to be battling amongst themselves to interact with the Liverpool star Mohammed Salah.
Reverence for Salah runs across the entire continent of Africa, as fans and fledgling footballers desperately yearn to catch a glimpse of the King of Egypt, as he is fondly referred to.
This wild adoration for the winger was also seen in his appearance against Angola, during which there were no less than three pitch invasions by the fans just to be able to interact with their idol for a fleeting second.
Similar visuals were observed post the Egypt-Gabon meeting, the only difference being that this time it was the rival group raving after Mo Salah.
However, given the abysmal security arrangements in their clash against Angola, the 29-year-old’s protection was much more beefed up, as he could be seen surrounded by hefty bodyguards who wouldn’t allow even the on-field players to interact with Salah for too long, before clearing them away.
Having won their latest encounter, Egypt has paved its way to the Round of 3 of the African Qualifiers and would be looking to progress even further in their efforts to make it to their second consecutive World Cup.
