Egypt's Mohamed Salah Misses Out as Mostafa Ziko's Goal Seals 1-0 Victory Over Russia

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Egypt's national team started their World Cup preparations with a narrow 1-0 win over Russia in a friendly match at Cairo International Stadium on Friday.

Without star player Mohamed Salah, Pelatih Hossam Hassan rested him and gave others opportunities to shine, and it paid off when Mostafa Ziko scored the winning goal in the second half.

Egypt still fielded some of their key players, despite Salah's absence.

Manchester City's Omar Marmoush was started from the beginning, and the match also marked the return of Mohamed Abdelmoneim, who had been out with an injury for a long time.

The friendly match was a closely contested affair throughout, with both teams struggling to break through each other's defenses, resulting in a 0-0 scoreline at halftime.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 64th minute when Mostafa Zico, who came off the bench, scored with a header after being set up by Mohamed Hany.

As the match entered its final stages, Egypt had to withstand significant pressure from Russia, who were desperate to catch up. However, Egypt's defense held firm to secure the win.

The match also gave Hossam the chance to test his squad's depth with 10 substitutions made during the match.

The win over Russia will undoubtedly give Egypt's players a confidence boost before they head to the United States for their final warm-up match against Brazil on June 7.

Next, they will face Belgium in their Group G opener in Seattle on June 16.