Mohamed Salah (L) and David Degen (R) (Photo: UEFA.com)
Egypt's Mohamed Salah had a hand in the only goal as Swiss side Basel secured a narrow 1-0 home win over Israel's Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the first leg of the European Champions League third qualifying round on Tuesday.
Valentin Stocker notched the winner six minutes before the break to give Basel a slender advantage ahead of the second leg, which will take place in Israel on 6 August.
Egypt's attacking midfielder Salah started the superb move which led to the goal. He gathered a throw-in, exchanged passes with a teammate before finding Marcelo Diaz, whose back-heel pass allowed Stocker to fire home.
Salah wreaked havoc down the right flank and was a constant threat throughout.
He could have found the net on the stroke of half-time but his angled volley struck the arm of a defender. The referee waved away Salah's claims for a penalty.
In the second half, a defensive lapse allowed Salah to break clear but his attempted lob went wide.
Salah's compatriot Mohamed El-Neny also featured in the game. He was replaced with 13 minutes remaining.
It remains to be seen whether both players will play the second leg.
Playing in Israel has long been a contentious issue in Egyptian football, with many arguing that it amounts to “normalizing” ties with Israel.
A peace treaty between Egypt and Israel has been in place since 1979 but it did little to dispel public anger over Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
Former Egyptian international defender Hany Ramzy, now coach of Egypt's Wadi Degla, stirred controversy in 1994 when he went to Israel to play with Werder Bremen against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Describing his visit to Israel as an interesting experience, Ramzy said at the time: “I do my work as a professional and I do not mix Politics with Sports”.
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