Egypt 4 - Guinea 2

El-Gouna was the site of Egypt's final home match of Group G against Mali.  With a win, Egypt would be the only team to complete the CAF Second Round with six wins out of six matches.  Guinea came flying out of the gate.  Seydouba Soumah forced a save  A horribly poor defensive header clearance by Guinea inside their own box feel to Hossam Ghaly, who equalized with a calm finish.  The score is this rather subdued after was 1-1 at the break.

Kamil Zayatte, the Guinean captain, was given his marching orders for a red card offense in minute 49 when he handled the ball on an Egyptian shot as it was about to enter the goal, giving Egypt a penalty kick opportunity.  Egypt converted for 2-1.  On a hard deflection, Guinea's sole striker Soumah found himself on a breakaway, and he sped past two defenders for the score to make it 2-2.  With under ten minutes to play, Mohamed Aboutrika (pictured, red) performed a beautiful backheel pass in traffic into the box, giving Mohamed Salah a ball with which to score, and score Salah did to put Egypt back out in front.  The extra man finally showed in Guinea's weariness late on.  Aboutrika made another pass that spliced the defense inside the box, and Amr Zaki finished to give the Pharaohs their fourth goal.  Egypt win 4-2 and remain the only team still in the competition with a perfect record, having recorded six wins from six matches.

Goals
Egypt
Hossam Ghaly 38
Mohamed Aboutrika 51 PK
Mohamed Salah 83
Amr Zaki 87

Guinea
Adam El Abd 4 OG
Seydouba Soumah 57

Match Reports:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24034966
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130910/egypt-guinea-4-2-bob-bradley-world-cup-qualifying.ap/

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H-QkeTGMF4

Mozambique 1 - Zimbabwe 1

Harare was the site for Zimbabwe's final home game of the tournament with Mozambique visiting.  Both sides were looking to exit the tournament with their first win of round two of qualifying.  Both sides failed to provide good passes in the attacking third for the first forty minutes.  Peter Moyo (pictured, green) was able to hit the woodwork for Zimbabwe with five minutes to go, and Masimba Mambare put away the rebound.  At the half, the score was Zimbabwe 1, Mozambique 0.

Zimbabwe made a pair of substitutions that sapped the spirit from their attack.  Maninho snuck through for Mozambique.  His shot was initially saved, but a poor clearance from Oscar Machapa gave Maninho a second chance, which he gleefully converted.  The match ends 1-1, meaning Zimbabwe fail to win a match in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Goals
Zimbabwe
Masimba Mambare 41

Mozambique
Maninho 69

Match Reports:
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/sport/18046-warriors-held-at-home-held-by-mozambique.html
http://www.mtnfootball.com/international/fifa-world-cup-2014/matches/reports/2013/sep/08-zimbabwe-v-mozambique.html

Egypt 1 - Mozambique 0; Guinea 1 - Zimbabwe 0

Egypt continued their march toward Brasil 2014 with a visit to Maputo to face Mozambique.  Mozambique forced Egypt out of their familiar red kits, but no one was going to force Egypt out of first place today.  Egypt went ahead with only five minutes to go in the half.  Mohamed Aboutrika threaded a through ball to Ahmed Fathy, who then passed laterally to Mohamed Salah.  Salah then scored his fourth goal in two qualifiers to put the Pharaohs ahead 1-0.  Egypt were up 1-0 at the break.

Aboutrika should have iced the game in the final ten minutes but muffed an easy chance for Egypt.  This did not come back to bit the Pharaohs in any way as they were able to keep a clean sheet.  Egypt win 1-0 and advance to the CAF Third Round.  This result eliminated Guinea from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

With the result from the earlier match, hosts Guinea and Zimbabwe played in Conakry knowing that the match result would not help either side advance in the tournament.  Only fourteen Zimbabwe players made the trip due to mix-ups in flight scheduling and lack of funding.  Zimbabwe held out for as long as they could, but Guinea eventually grabbed the lead through a goal from Mohammed Yattara.  Guinea led 1-0 at halftime.

In the second half, a depleted Zimbabwe offered little in attack and little to motivate their opponents.  The match saw no further scoring in the second half.  Guinea win 1-0.

Egypt 15 pts IN
Guinea OUT
Mozambique OUT
Zimbabwe OUT

Goals
Egypt
Mohamed Salah 40

Guinea
Mohammed Yattara 37

Match Reports:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/52/74098/Sports/National-Teams/Relive-Mozambique--Egypt-World-Cup-qualifier.aspx
http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/06/19/egypt-defeats-mozambique-in-world-cup-qualifiers/
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/06/17/guinea-down-warriors/
http://www.supersport.com/football/zimbabwe/news/130616/Guinea_trump_Zimbabwe

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnJcB7zKg68 (Egypt v. Mozambique)

Egypt 4 - Zimbabwe 2; Guinea 6 - Mozambique 1

Egypt looked to maintain their perfect record as they traveled away to Harare to face Zimbabwe.  Five minutes in, Mohamed Salah was making a run with the ball into space on the right wing for Egypt.  He slotted a ball into the box that was backheeled into the path of Mohamed Aboutrika, whose finish made it 1-0.  Egypt centerback Mahmoud Fathalla (pictured, red #2) made a mistake when heading back to his keeper fifteen minutes later.  Knowledge Musona (pictured, yellow) pounced on the opportunity and chipped the goalkeeper with his first touch to even the score at one goal apiece.  Five minutes before halftime, Egypt goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy registered an assist off a goal kick.  The ball bounced over the defense and was controlled by Salah, who calmly pushed the ball under the oncoming goalkeeper for Egypt's second of the afternoon.  Egypt led 2-1 at the break.

With a quarter hour to play, Salah capitalized on a soft turnover by Zimbabwe.  After gathering the loose ball, Salah nutmegged his defender Lincoln Zvasiya and ran clear into the box before finishing for a 3-1 lead.  Zimbabwe closed the gap once again, this time off a broken play from a corner kick.  Ocean Mushure saved the ball from becoming a throw-in, and then smacked a cross that caught the Egyptian backline asleep.  Zvasiya rose to put away the unmarked header for 3-2.  Just two minutes later, Egypt sealed the match for good.  Aboutrika swung a volley pass from the side of the penalty area around his marker, and the result was a shot for a wide open Salah.  Salah buried the chance for his hat trick.  Egypt win 4-2.

Rainy Conakry was the site for Guinea's home qualifier against Mozambique.  An unexpectedly large bashing was in store for the visiting side.  Mohammed Yattara opened the scoring for Guinea after a quarter hour.  Eighteen minutes later, it was 2-0 off a corner kick header by Sadio Diallo.  Mozambique converted a penalty kick with one minute left in the half, by Guinea scored a penalty of their own in the final minute of the half.  Guinea led 3-1 at intermission.

In the second half, Guinea continued to be the much better side.  No goals were found until the final quarter hour of play.  Guinea ended the match with a flourish, scoring three goals in that time span, including one in the final minute of play.  Guinea win emphatically 6-1.

Egypt 12 pts +6
Guinea 7 pts +5
Mozambique OUT
Zimbabwe OUT

Goals
Egypt
Mohamed Aboutrika 5
Mohamed Salah 41,76, 83

Zimbabwe
Knowledge Musona 21
Lincoln Zvasiya 81

Guinea
Mohamed Yattara 15, 90
Sadio Diallo 33, 45 PK
Ibrahima Traore 76
Mohammed Diarra 81

Mozambique
Domingues 44 PK

Match Reports:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/52/73527/Sports/National-Teams/Relive-Zimbabwe--Egypt-World-Cup-qualifiers.aspx
http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/06/12/egypt-defeats-zimbabwe-4-2-in-world-cup-qualifiers/
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/sports-11345-Warriors+fall+2-4+to+rampant+Egypt/sports.aspx
http://www.supersport.com/football/africa/news/130609/Guinea_demolish_Mozambique

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXxAv2TvC-0 (Egypt v. Zimbabwe)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGLqe-oAwpM (Guinea v. Mozambique)

Egypt 2 - Zimbabwe 1

Alexandria marked venue for the return of home fans to cheer on Egypt for the first time since the Port Said tragedy in February 2012.  Zimbabwe were the opponents, and first-place Egypt were looking for full points against last-place Zimbabwe.  The first half was nervy, but the Pharoahs did carve out a good chance at the tail end of the first period.  Mohamed El Neny hit a swerving shot from twenty-four yards that was knocked aside by Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi.  The half ended as it began, with a 0-0 scoreline.

Twenty minutes into the period, the Pharoahs had themselves a free kick from the half circle  Hosny Abd Rabo curled the ball high over the wall, and Arubi could only push the ball up into the roof of the net as Egypt took a 1-0 lead.  The lead lived only ten minutes, however, as what can only be described as a fluke ball fell to Knowledge Musona, who on a dead sprint toward goal struck a wonderful half volley over the Egypt goalkeeper for the equalizer.  With only a couple minutes left, an attack up the middle right led to Ahmed Gaafar being tackled from behind in the box by Augustine Mbara, giving Egypt a very late penalty kick.  The kick was made, and Egypt win 2-1.

Egypt 9 pts +4
Guinea 4 pts 0
Mozambique 2 pts -2
Zimbabwe 1 pts -2

Goals
Egypt
Hosny Abd Rabo 65
Mohamed Aboutrika 88

Zimbabwe
Knowledge Musona 75

Match Reports:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/52/67776/Sports/National-Teams/LIVE-Egypt-v-Zimbabwe-World-Cup-qualifiers.aspx
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcunited/egypt-beats-zimbabwe-2-1-to-keep-perfect-record-in-world-cup-qualifying-as-fans-return/2013/03/26/8a6434b4-9667-11e2-8764-d42c128a01ef_story.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzCKP62p-W4

Mozambique 0 - Guinea 0

Maputo was the site of a very forgettable match between visiting Guinea and Mozambique.  No goals were to be found in the first half.

Though Guinea had a slightly more positive match than did Mozambique, neither team really made any inroads toward scoring a winner.  Much to Egypt's delight, Guinea could not apply much pressure in the standings.  The match ends in a 0-0 draw which suits neither teams' interests going forward in their respective qualification campaigns.

Egypt 6 pts +3
Guinea 4 pts 0
Mozambique 2 pts -2
Zimbabwe 1 pts -1

Match Reports:
http://www.mtnfootball.com/international/fifa-world-cup-2014/news/2013/march/mozambique-hold-guinea-to-draw.html

Egypt 3 - Guinea 2; Zimbabwe 0 - Mozambique 0

Zimbabwe visited Mozambique in Maputo in their Group G showdown today.  In a game featuring few chances, Zimbabwe had a great one with under five minutes left to play, but midfieldr Ovidy Karuru inexplicably passed up a chance to take a shot one-on-one with the goalkeeper in order to pass, letting the opportunity vanish.  The match went 0-0 into the locker rooms.

Pelembe Heider really made things interesting for the home side with his play for them in the second period, yet neither he nor anyone else could really get anything going, so the match ended up a scoreless draw.  Both Mozambique and Zimbabwe will have some serious work to do to catch Egypt in the race for Brasil 2014.

Egypt made the journey to Conarky to face Guinea in the crucial game in Group G.  Guinea were the brighter side early on, and they were able to earn themselves a penalty kick right before twenty minutes had elapsed.  The spot kick was converted for a 1-0 lead to the hosts.  Mohamed Salah (pictured, #19) blew an opportunity to equalize ten minutes on after a fine pass from Ahmed Fathi. Gedo (pictured #15)nearly equalized soon thereafter, but his shot struck a post and flew away.  The Guinea goal led a charmed life in the first period that the hosts won 1-0.

It took an hour, but Egypt finally got the goal they deserved when Mohamed Aboutrika (pictured, #22) finished off his first touch.  In minute 64, Guinea goalkeeper Naby Yattara was sent off for a high kick on Hosni Abd-Rabo (pictured, #8).  Aboutrika made the penalty kick to give Egypt a 2-1 lead.  With two minutes left and a man less, Guinea levelled the score through Alhassane Bangoura, who dropped two defenders with his moves before firing into a bottom corner, sparking relieved celebrations in Conakry.  However, deep into stoppage time, Salah finally atoned for his blown chance in the first period by scoring off a pass from Mohamed Zidan.  Saleh's strike gave Egypt a last-gasp victory.  With the 3-2 win, Egypt join Tunisia as the only two teams with six points after two games in the CAF Second Round.

Egypt 6 pts +3
Guinea 3 pts 0
Zimbabwe 1 pts -1
Mozambique 1 pts -2

Goals
Egypt
Mohamed Aboutrika 58,67 PK
Mohamed Salah 90+5

Guinea
Abdoul Camara 19
Alhassane Bangoura 88

Match Reports:
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/sport/football/58752/moment-of-truth-for-warriors.html?utm_source=thezim&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=latestarticles
http://allafrica.com/stories/201206111591.html
http://news.egypt.com/english/permalink/123776.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBuswDZzA0U (Egypt v. Guinea)

Guinea 1 - Zimbabwe 0

Guinea paid a visit to Zimbabwe in Harare looking to keep pace with Egypt, who won the opening match in Group G two days prior.  Guinea had never once before obtained a victory in Zimbabwe, a statistic they were deadset on changing.  When Guinea scored just after the midway point of the first period to make it 1-0, the match stopped being about football for the fans in the stadium and more about complaints and violence.  The half ended at 1-0 Guinea.

In the second period, fans became violent and their national team fell apart mentally in response.  Chants rang out calling for a change of coaches.  None of this could have put the home side in a proper state of mind, and their football suffered as a result.  With the 1-0 loss, Zimbabwe not only suffered their only home less ever to Guinea, but they also became the only home team out of twenty to lose in the CAF Second Round Matchday One.  Guinea draw level with Egypt on three points.

Egypt 3 pts +2
Guinea 3 pts +1
Zimbabwe 0 pts -1
Mozambique 0 pts -2

Goals
Guinea
Ibrahima Traore 25

Match Reports:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201206050785.html
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/sports-8164-ZIFA+keeps+faith+with+Gumbo/sports.aspx

Egypt 2 - Mozambique 0

Egypt hosted Mozambique before an empty stadium in Alexandria.  Nevertheless, the focus of millions was intensely gazing upon the performance of the home Pharaohs and their American coach Bob Bradley, who brought Egypt in on a twelve-match unbeaten run.  The first half was controlled by Egypt, but neither team was able to breach the other's goalmouth, and the scoreline was 0-0 at the break.

Not quite ten minutes into the second period, a ball crossed to the far post was headed back across the face of goal by Ahmed Hegazy, where his fellow centerback Mahmoud Fathalla was able to slide and kick the ball into the vacant net for a 1-0 lead for Egypt.  Within another ten minutes, Egypt had stretched the lead to two on a great shot attempt from just outside the box by Mohamed Zidan, whose shot hit the crossbar but bounced off Mozambique goalkeeper Kapango's back and into the goal.  Egypt were able to hold out for a 2-0 victory and the early lead in Group D.

Goals
Egypt
Mahmoud Fathalla 54
Kapango (OG) 63

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1642780/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/06/01/2080.ap.soc.egypt.mozambique.1st.ld.writethru.0351/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMXr7zk2iaE&feature=related