Egypt defeats Russia in a friendly in the absence of Mohamed Salah
Egypt's national football team defeated Russia by a goal without reply, on Thursday, at Cairo International Stadium, in the Pharaohs' last friendly before traveling to the United States to participate in the 2026 World Cup finals.
Mostafa Abdel Raouf (Zico), a player of Pyramids, scored the only goal of the match in the 65th minute with a header that turned a perfect cross from Mohamed Hani into the net, in his first international appearance with the Egyptian national team.
Mohamed Salah, who recently bid farewell to the English club Liverpool after ending a career that spanned 9 seasons, was absent from the match, as the coaching staff of the Egyptian national team, led by Hossam Hassan, preferred to rest him before facing Brazil in a friendly in the United States on June 6.
Prior to this victory, the two teams met in 7 previous matches, in which the Russian national team prevailed, which won six matches, while Egypt won only 2-1 in 1991, during which Hossam Hassan scored the winning goal when he was a player, while Ahmed Ramzy scored the first goal.
Hossam Hassan is set to announce the exclusion of one player from the initial list of 27 players before traveling to the United States to play in the World Cup, where the draw placed Egypt in Group G alongside Belgium, Iran and New Zealand.
The Egyptian national team will begin its campaign against Belgium on June 15 in Seattle, before facing New Zealand in Vancouver on the 22nd of the same month, and then returning to Seattle to meet Iran on June 27.
Qatar loses to Ireland
In another friendly match, the Qatari national team lost to its Irish counterpart by a goal without reply, in the match held at the "Aviva" stadium in the capital, Dublin, as part of its preparations for the World Cup.
Nathan Collins scored the only goal of the match in the fifth minute with a header, while the referee showed a red card to Jack Moylan of the Ireland national team in the 45th minute, and Almoez Ali, a player of the Qatari national team, was sent off in the 79th minute.
A number of fans threw tennis balls bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag and the words "Stop the game" in the stands of the stadium, as an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians, as well as to demand the refusal to hold the match between Ireland and Israel in the UEFA Nations League.
The stands were also filled with flags and banners in support of the Palestinian cause, which prompted the referee to stop the game for a few minutes to remove the balls from the pitch.
The Qatari national team's delegation is scheduled to head to the United States on June 30, before concluding its preparations with a friendly against El Salvador on June 6 in Los Angeles.
Qatar will begin its World Cup campaign against Switzerland on June 13 in Group B, which also includes Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ireland's prime minister refuses to boycott Israel match
Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin announced his rejection of calls to boycott his country's two matches against Israel in the UEFA Nations League, stressing that the two meetings will be held on time, and Martin said that Ireland's political position on Israel's policies in Palestine is clear, but linking the crisis to a football match "does not reflect the size of the humanitarian issue."
His stance came amid mounting calls for a boycott from pro-Palestinian groups, players and celebrities, as well as mass protests during Ireland's friendly against Qatar.
The Irish Football Association (FA) has warned of harsh penalties from UEFA in the event of withdrawal, including deduction of points and possible exclusion from continental competitions.
Although the government has stuck to the two matches, the Irish sports minister has announced that he will boycott both matches, while the first leg will be held on neutral ground on September 27 and the second leg in Dublin will be held on October 4.