Egypt had been tipped to run over their Group G opponents Guinea, Malawi and Ethiopia, but a 2-0 loss to the latter had raised questions after day two.
Mohammed Salah scored twice over two matches as Egypt overcame an early scare to put their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign back on course.
The Pharaohs had been tipped to run over their Group G opponents Guinea, Malawi and Ethiopia, but a 2-0 loss to the latter had raised questions after day two.
Mohammed Abdallah scored late in their first game to give them the three points and some blushes at home on day one, but the loss to Ethiopia at a neutral ground in Malawi left them in an uncomfortable zone.
Salah stars
Salah missed that loss; however, his return for the back-to-back match days three and four encounters against Malawi was timely.
He scored the opener just 20 minutes into the game before assisting Wolfsburg striker Omar Marmoush to seal the result at the stroke of halftime.
22:23 - 28.03.2023
FOOTBALL Cranes back in AFCON Qualification business
The fight for the second ticket is now between Uganda and Tanzania, although Niger, with two points, are also still in it.
The Liverpool legend and Marmoush starred again alongside Tarek Ahmed and Ahmed Sayed on Tuesday in Lilongwe as they assumed the lead of the group with nine points.
They need a win against either Guinea in Morocco or at home against Ethiopia to seal their spot.
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