By DAN KARELL
There are plenty of feel good stories in the sports world, but one that jumps to the top of the list has to be the play of the Egyptian National Team.
Under head coach Bob Bradley’s watch, the nation, suffering from internal political turmoil and a recently resumed domestic league is on the cusp of making the third round of CAF qualifying, putting them closer to making their first World Cup since 1990.
On Sunday, the Pharaohs took down Zimbabwe on the road, 4-2, thanks to a hat-trick from FC Basel forward Mohamed Salah. A win next Sunday against Mozambique and Egypt will have made it to the third round, a two-legged matchup in October and November to see who will qualify for the World Cup.
Also in action this past weekend in African World Cup qualifying, Sierra Leone kept their hopes alive with a 2-2 draw against Tunisia, though they conceded a 90th minute equalizer from Tunisia midfielder Fakhreddine Ben Youssef. Kei Kamara scored the opener in the 39th minute, before Tunisia equalized.
Sierra Leone now sits on five points from four games, and needs Tunisia to drop points in their final two results while the Leone Stars need to win their final pair.
Here’s a full rundown of this past weekend’s matchups in CAF qualifying:
(Home team written first)
Group A:
Botswana 1, Ethiopia 2
Central African Republic 0, South Africa 3
Group B:
Sierra Leone 2, Tunisia 2
Cape Verde 2, Equatorial Guinea 1
Group C:
Gambia 0, Ivory Coast 3
Morocco 2, Tanzania 1
Group D:
Sudan 1, Ghana 3
Zambia 4, Lesotho 0
Group E:
Gabon 0, Congo 0
Niger 0, Burkina Faso 1
Group F:
Malawi 0, Namibia 0
Kenya 0, Nigeria 1
Group G:
Zimbabwe 2, Egypt 4
Guinea 6, Mozambique 1
Group H:
Benin 1, Algeria 3
Mali 1, Rwanda 1
Group I:
Libya 0, Congo DR 0
Togo 2, Cameroon 0
Group J:
Uganda 1, Liberia 0
Angola 1, Senegal 1