Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan scored the go-ahead goal in the 33rd minute, beating the offside trap. Mohamed Salah added a second with a penalty in the 72nd minute after Omar Marmoush was brought down in the area. Salah’s shot blasted onto the crossbar before ricocheting off the back of goalkeeper Manula, reports Alaa Abdel-Ghani.
Sunday’s match in Cairo provided one last chance for Egypt’s Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria to determine which starting players he will settle on although the game hardly rose above mediocrity.
In Group B, Egypt start their campaign on 14 January against Mozambique before meeting Ghana on 18 January and concluding the group stage against Cape Verde on 22 January.
Tanzania are in Group F alongside Morocco, DR Congo, and Zambia.
Egypt are a record seven-time winner of the tournament.
Senegal are the defending champions.
Twenty-four countries are participating, four countries in six groups each. The teams will play round-robin matches in their respective groups, after which the top two finishers in each group plus the next best four teams in all the groups will go on to the knockout stages.
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