Egypt 1–0 Sierra Leone Player Ratings: Inspiring Zizo Helps African Giants Maintain Perfect World Cup Qualification Campaign

Egypt picked up a compelling 1-0 win over Sierra Leone in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier clash at the Cairo International Stadium, Egypt, on March 25, 2025. A solitary goal from Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed late in the first half was the only one to separate the two sides, with the hosts maintaining their unbeaten run in the World Cup qualifiers in front of their devoted home fans.

The hosts began the game dominantly, controlling possession and moving the ball forward really smoothly. Egypt’s first chance of the game fell to Trezeguet, who weaved past a few players before blasting a shot over the bar in the 5th minute. Mohamed Salah saw an ambitious shot sky over the bar after a clever short free-kick attempt in the 13th minute. He then forced a sharp save from the goalkeeper two minutes later, cleverly linking up with Omar Marmoush before seeing his effort denied.

Egyptian midfielder Marwan Attia created a brilliant chance in the 22nd minute with a brilliant chipped pass, but Mostafa Mohammed’s shot was saved. Another chance was wasted four minutes later following Attia’s clever delivery into the box. Marmoush came close to scoring the opener in the 33rd minute, playing a smart one-two with Salah before scuffing his shot over the bar. Trezeguet saw another effort denied in the 42nd minute, mounting frustration within the team.

However, Egypt’s persistence finally paid off in the 45th minute after a sweeping attacking move. Mohamed Abdelmonem’s forward pass was guided on by Trezeguet into the path of Zizo, who produced a slick finish to put his side in the lead right before half-time.

The hosts nearly took a 2-0 lead right after the break, with the impressive midfielder Marwan Attia seeing a venomous long-range effort rattle the post and go agonizingly wide. Salah had another big chance to score in the 54th minute, but he somehow managed to put a shot wide of the target from a scorable position inside the box.

Egypt focused on controlling possession and preserving their energies in the final phase of the game, also focusing on keeping the visitors from scoring a goal. They did so pretty well and despite failing to score another goal, Mo Salah & co grabbed all three points to stay on top of Group A in the World Cup qualification group. Here are Egypt vs Sierra Leone player ratings.

Egypt Player Ratings

GK – Mohamed El Shenawy – 6/10

The 36-year-old was not tested that often, but was sharp enough to be reactive to any threat. He made a few nice saves and was pretty solid in neutralizing the opponents’ crossing threat.

RB – Mohamed Hany – 6.5/10

Hany was a real proactive figure on the right side. He linked up nicely with his teammates, moving the ball forward and making some clever overlapping runs as well. Defended pretty strongly to neutralize the opponents’ threat down his side.

CB – Rami Rabia – 6/10

Rabia was pretty disciplined with his work, passing the ball along pretty nicely. He made several clutch clearances but was also outwitted by the opponents’ fast attacking moves on a few occasions.

CB – Mohamed Abdelmonem – 7/10

The OGC Nice centre-back commanded a stubborn defensive line for his side. He popped up in the key areas to stop several Sierra Leone counter-attacks, also making some vital clearances. Passed the ball forward well and played a key role in triggering the move for Zizo’s opener.

LB – Trezeguet – 7.5/10

The Egypt no.7 was a real livewire on the left flank, enjoying all the freedom he received to roam forward. He made a few clever little forward runs to dribble past bodies with ease. Played a smart pass to Zizo for his goal.

CM – Marwan Attia – 8/10

Attia was the star in the midfield battle, pulling the strings with ease and being influential in disrupting the opponents’ shape. He created several chances with his clever passes, regained possession numerous times, and also hit the bar in the second half.

CM – Ahmed Kouka – 7/10

The 23-year-old was a disciplined figure in the midfield, showcasing a lot of energy in moving along and closing down spaces for the opponents. His passing was also pretty clean and accurate. Worked hard to close down the opponents’ offensive move through the right wing with his clever challenges.

RW – Mohamed Salah – 6/10

The Liverpool sensation was involved in several promising attacking moves, but came out empty-handed. He created several chances with his pinpoint delivery into the box, but wasn’t rewarded for it. Had a few scoring chances, seeing a big chance denied and wasting a prominent opportunity in the second half.

AM – Zizo – 8/10

The 29-year-old was a menacing figure for the Sierra Leone defenders because of his unpredictable movement through their half. He linked up well with teammates and perfectly dispatched his big chance late in the first half.

LW – Omar Marmoush – 7/10

Marmoush troubled the opposition players with his smart off-the-ball movement and ability to glide into danger areas with ease. He created quite a few goal-scoring chances, but nobody could finish them off.

CF – Mostafa Mohamed – 5.5/10

The Egyptian centre-forward didn’t have the most eventful of outings against Sierra Leone. He got into a few nice positions, but failed to get at the end of chances, only forcing one notable save in the first half.

SUB – Hamdi Fathi – 6/10

Fathi helped Egypt gain more control in the midfield areas and also helped with some of the defensive work as the game rolled on.

SUB – Mohamed Shehata – 6/10

Added a bit more steel to his side’s midfield line, working hard to close down the gaps to make things even tougher for the visitors.

SUB – Mostafa Fathi – N/R

Helped his side get the job done with a late cameo.

SUB – Mahmoud Faber – N/R

Came on for the last few minutes in added time.

Manager – Hossam Hasan – 7/10

Hasan was brave in fielding a pretty attack-minded lineup and urging his side to keep pushing the visitors back. His team’s shape was strong enough to sustain any counter-attacking threat and he made them produce some attractive attacking football. Even though their finishing wasn’t the best, Hossam orchestrated a well-deserved win.

Sportsdunia’s Man of the Match for this game goes to Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed.