File Photo: Rio Ave striker Ahmed Hassan “Koka” (Photo: Al-Ahram )
Egypt young forward Ahmed Hassan 'Koka' bagged his maiden European goal after steering Rio Ave to a vital 1-0 win at Sweden's IFK Göteborg in the Europa League third qualifying round.
Koka, 21, notched the sole goal of the game after 22 minutes as Rio Ave now need only a draw in the second leg in Portugal to guarantee qualification for the competition's playoff round.
Elsewhere, Egypt right wing-back Ahmed Elmohamady featured for the whole 90 minutes to help Hull City claim a goalless draw at Slovakia's AS Trencin in the same round.
Making their first continental appearance, Hull City managed to keep a clean sheet away from home ahead of the return leg in Hull next week.
It is also the first-ever European match for Elmohamady following a four-year spell in England, where he initially joined Sunderland from ENPPI in 2010 before moving to Hull on permanent basis two years later.
Should Hull and Rio Ave go through, they will feature in a playoff round – whose winner qualify directly for the competition's group stage.
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