Cairo: Superstar Mohammad Salah gets a second chance to score his first goal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations when hosts Egypt face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group A on Wednesday.
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The recent Champions League winner with Liverpool was unable to convert several chances against Zimbabwe last Friday as Egypt won 1-0 in the opening match of the tournament.
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“Mo Salah was among those who missed chances, but I was satisfied with our performance,” admitted Mexican coach Javier Aguirre.
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Victory over the Congolese, who performed poorly when losing 2-0 to Uganda, could clinch a last-16 place for the Egyptians with one match to spare.
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Also in Group A, Uganda play Zimbabwe in the first match in Cairo, and Nigeria and Guinea clash in Group B in Alexandria.
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After four days of small crowds, a capacity 75,000 crowd is expected in Cairo to cheer Egypt as they seek a third win in four Cup of Nations meetings with the DR Congo.
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There will be contrasting pressures on the teams with the Pharaohs eyeing a second-round place and the Leopards fighting for survival after a horror first outing.
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“We must learn to handle the pressure of being among the favourites in order to realise our goal of becoming African champions,” said Aguirre.
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DR Congo came to Egypt as one of the most unpredictable qualifiers having finished third in 2015 only to make a timid quarter-final exit two years ago.
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“We let our country down against Uganda,” confessed captain Youssouf Mulumbu. “It was a bitter lesson for us and we plan to correct the situation quickly.”
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Having won a Cup of Nations match for the first time in 41 years, Uganda coach Sebastien Desabre has warned his Cranes against overconfidence when they confront Zimbabwe.
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“It was wonderful to win after such a long time, but we must keep our feet on the ground and remain humble and focused,” warned the Frenchman.
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“I was very impressed by Zimbabwe against Egypt and nothing less than a top-class performance from us will deliver three more points.”
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Should Uganda and Egypt triumph, both will be guaranteed last-16 places, leaving Zimbabwe and DR Congo to try and fill one of four spots reserved for the best third-place finishers.
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“Our brave performance against Egypt is history and only a victory over Uganda will bring us back into contention for automatic qualification,” said Zimbabwe coach Sunday Chidzambwa.
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Neither team impressed in their Group B openers with Nigeria one-goal winners over debutants Burundi and the defensive weaknesses of Guinea exposed when held by Madagascar, another newcomer.
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Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr blamed illness for a lacklustre showing and it took an exquisite back-heel pass from Ola Aina to set up substitute Odion Ighalo for a late 1-0 win.
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“Some players started training only a few days before the match after becoming ill due to the change in climate from wet Nigeria to hot Egypt,” said Rohr.
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“We are thrilled to be here after failing to qualify for the last two Cup of Nations and I expect a much better performance against a very good Guinea side.”
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On Monday night, Ivory Coast began their campaign in the toughest group with a 1-0 win over South Africa.
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The Ivorians edged the crunch game in Group D when Jonathan Kodjia finished neatly from a cross by Max Gradel in the second half.
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The striker’s goal was enough, although Nicolas Pepe hit the crossbar with a free kick for Ivory Coast in the first half and was denied again near the end when another free kick was saved brilliantly by Ronwen Williams.
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Group D has three former champions in Ivory Coast, South Africa and Morocco. Morocco beat Namibia 1-0 on Sunday.
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In Monday’s second game, Angola scored a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Tunisia in Group E.
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Fixtures
Guinea v Nigeria, 6.30pm
Uganda v Zimbabwe, 9pm
Egypt v DR Congo, midnight
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