Soccer Review

Egypt took down Rwanda 3-0 in qualifying yesterday. The breakthrough did not come until the 66th minute by Aboutreika. The Pharos added a second by Rabbou via the penalty spot, then Aboutreika added his second to complete the scoring. The win puts Egypt right back into things after a horrible start to their campaign. The Pharos are now just three points back of Algeria and tied with Zambia. In the next fixture these teams will play each other in the reverse in Rwanda. 

In the Gold Cup, Guadelopue pulled off another shock. The team that made a miracle run to the semifinals in 2007, started off the tournament with a stunning 2-1 victory against Panama. The win gives the tiny island nation a good shot at making it to the quarterfinals. Loval opened the scoring for Guadeloupe after a horrible error in the Panamanian defense. They took a 2-0 lead on 43 minutes when Fleurival scored one of the goals of the tournament. It was an absolute rocket from 30 plus yards out right into the top corner. Panama pulled a goal back with 22 minutes to go, but could not find an equalizer. In the other match, Mexico defeated Nicaragua 2-0. Nicaragua, playing in their first ever Gold Cup match, gave a very credible performance and it took a dubious penalty in the second half to open the scoring. Mexico added a second late in the game to seal the win.