Egypt comfortably defeated Ethiopia 2-0 at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, on Friday night/Saturday morning to open a five-point lead at the top of Group in Africas 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
The Pharaohs triumphed on the back of first-half strikes from Mohamed Salah and Zizo, with the result taking them five points clear of nearest chasers Burkina Faso at the top of the Group A log.
The Walia Ibex, meanwhile, have yet to win in these Qualifiers and are placed fifth second from bottom 10 points off the pace set by the North African heavyweights.
Ethiopia competed well against their high-profile opponents for the first 30 minutes, but their hard work was undone when they gave the ball away in their own half and Hamdi Fathy played Mohamed Salah in on goal the Liverpool forward duly finished past debutant goalkeeper Abubeker Ambisa for 1-0 in the 31st minute.
Salah then went from scorer to provider, playing a well-weighted pass to meet the run of Zizo, who scored from a tight angle to make it 2-0 in the 40th minute, and put the North Africans in complete control of the match.