Hamza Abdelkarim scored his first senior international goal as Egypt defeated South Sudan 5-0 in Juba to move top of Group B of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers.
The FC Barcelona forward came off the bench in the closing stages to round off an emphatic win for the Pharaohs.
Omar Marmoush had earlier netted a brace, as Mostafa Ziko and Ibrahim Adel were also on target.
The victory eased some of the pressure on head coach Hossam Hassan, who had faced fierce criticism ahead of the Juba clash, both for Egypt’s goalless draw against Angola in their qualifying opener in Cairo and for his comments before that match. His remarks about veteran Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, who had been left out of the squad, drew widespread media criticism.attacks.
