Egypt’s bid to secure World Cup qualification was put on hold after a 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso in a flat Group A encounter in Ouagadougou on Tuesday.
Hossam Hassan’s unbeaten side moved to 20 points and leads Group A by five points ahead of Burkina Faso, with two matches remaining in the qualifiers.
With only the group winners qualifying automatically, the seven-time African champions need two points from their last two games to guarantee their spot and a fourth appearance at the World Cup. They will face Djibouti and Guinea-Bissau in October.
Egypt coach Hassan, however, celebrated the result, which moved his side one step closer to reaching the 48-team tournament to be held in North America next year.
“It’s a great day for the Egyptian people… I would like to thank every player for their efforts against a tough team that has players in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1,” Hassan, the former Egypt striker who led them to the 1990 World Cup, told the On Sport channel.
“Despite playing in Burkina Faso, we played positively and created big chances. At the same time, we maintained balance. We could have scored one or two goals before the end,” he added.
Egypt suffered an early setback when Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush was forced off through injury in the ninth minute.
Their best moment came in the 67th minute when Mohamed Salah set up Osama Faisal but the substitute’s strike was ruled offside.
Egypt’s Trezeguet had the first chance of the game, but his effort was saved by Burkina Faso goalkeeper Herve Koffi.
The home side rarely attacked, with Sunderland forward Bertrand Traore leading most of their best efforts.
Egypt went close to grabbing a winner in the final moments, but Mostafa Mohamed missed two chances.
Hassan, Egypt’s all-time top scorer, will be the first to lead his side to the World Cup both as a player and as a coach.
The 59-year-old coach said: “My goal was to coach the Egyptian national team. I have always dreamed of that. I want to fulfil the fans’ dream and live up to their trust (by leading the team to the World Cup).”