Pharaohs sharpen form ahead of Arab Cup
Egypt continued their fine run of form with a comfortable 4-0 win over Bahrain in an international friendly at El Bachir Stadium in Mohammédia, Morocco — the same venue where Bahrain lost to hosts Morocco on Thursday through a stoppage-time goal
The match began quietly, with neither side testing the goalkeepers through much of the first half. Egypt’s Ahmed Atef came closest just before the break, firing wide after being played in by Ghanam Mohamed.
Helmi Toulan’s men shifted gears after the restart. Skipper Amr El Solia opened the scoring minutes into the second half with a superb low strike from distance that beat Mohammed Al Gharbaly in goal. Two minutes later, Sayed Dhiya Saeed gifted possession to Ahmed Atef, who initiated a slick move finished by Mido Gaber.
Egypt’s third came just after the hour mark, when Atef produced a clever chipped pass for Mohamed Sherif to delicately lob home. The Pharaohs added a fourth in stoppage time, through substitute Marwan Hamdi to cap off a ruthless performance.
Bahrain, under Croatian coach Dragan Talajić, made six changes from the loss to Morocco but struggled to build rhythm or penetration in attack.
The friendly served as preparation for the upcoming FIFA Arab Cup. Bahrain will meet Djibouti on 26 November in Doha for a qualifying match — the winner advancing to Group D alongside Algeria, Iraq, and Lebanon or Sudan. Egypt, already through to the tournament and fresh from sealing qualification for the 2026 World Cup, will feature in Group C with Tunisia and Syria or South Sudan.
