Egypt kicked off their bid for a record fifth African Cup of Nations title by beating Libya 3-0 on Friday. Tottenham forward Mido scored the first goal of the 16-nation tournament in the 17th minute and Mohamed Aboutrika made it 2-0 five minutes later by driving in a free kick from 18m.
Egypt dominated the opening match of the three-week tournament against their neighbours and rivals, and Ahmed Hassan scored a third goal after the interval, after Libya had been reduced to 10 men by the expulsion of goalkeeper Luis de Agustini.
”We were really stressed before this opening match and thank God we won it,” Mido said. ”The fans were great and we thank them for their support.”
Libya began without slightly injured captain Tarek Tayeb, while Egypt missed veteran Hossam Hassan, also through injury. Tayeb came on in the second half, however.
The hosts applied the early pressure, with Mohamed Barakat breaking through on the right wing several times.
Abdelzaher El Saqqa tested De Agustini from the edge of the area, but he punched away the ball in the 15th minute. Two minutes later, he was beaten.
Mohamed Abdelwahab curled in a corner to the far post and Mido towered over the Libyan defense to knock in Egypt’s first goal. Aboutrika then drove a free kick over the Libyan wall into the corner of the net. The free kick came after Mido’s flick to Amr Zaki, who was downed by Younes Shibani.
Libya nearly replied when Shibani fired a free kick from nearly 30m narrowly wide. Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary later made a good save to deny Omar Daoud.
On the other side, Abdelwahab blasted another free kick from 30m and De Agustini fumbled the ball before scooping it in front of Mido.
Tayeb appeared to inspire Libya’s team after coming on for Ahmad Saad in the 63rd minute, and El Hadary had trouble mastering a shot by Salem Rewani moments later.
But Libya’s hopes were finally dashed in the 74th minute when De Agustini pulled down Abdelwahab, who had battled for a loose ball.
The Libyan goalkeeper first got a yellow card and Egypt earned a penalty. De Agustini protested and got his second yellow and marching orders seconds later.
Muftah Ghzalla replaced De Agustini and his first action was to stop Mido’s penalty. But the ball bounced back to Hassan, who slammed it into the net.
”We tried to have a stress-free game, but it didn’t work out,” Libya coach Ilija Loncarevic said. ”I am not saying Egypt didn’t deserve to win, but this tournament isn’t over for us.”
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak opened the tournament during a colourful ceremony that included 16 parachutists landing at the field of the renovated Cairo International Stadium bearing the flags of the participating nations.
A stunning fireworks display lit up the darkened stadium over a towering sphinx replica, while the ceremony highlighted ancient Egypt’s glory, with thousands of performers dressed in the costumes of pharaonic times. It also touched on modern times, with Moroccan-born pop star Samira Said singing one of her popular tunes.
The 74 000-capacity stadium was not full for the opening match. — Sapa-AP