116 min: Salah wants another and cuts in to shoot when he might have been better served to keep the ball. The clock is ticking down slowly. 114 min: Morocco really need to try and test that third-choice goalie. So far, he’s hardly been near the ball. 112 min: El Haddadi is all bur in tears as he sits on the racetrack by the side of the pitch. 110 min: An Egypt change, on comes Stoke and Huddersfield legend, Sobhi.
Poor Abou Gabal is in tears on the bench. 95 min: Finally, finally off goes Abou Gabal and on comes the third-choice goalie, Sobhy. Abou Gabal can hardly walk to the touchline. 93 min: The bright beginning of the start of the second half is not repeated. As the match ebbs towards penalties then there might be even less football played. 91 min: We are back underway. Egypt change, and it’s not the goalie and Ashraf goes off, and Alaa comes on. Full-time: Egypt 1-1 MoroccoBonus soccer it is, and there will be 30 more minutes.
Perhaps some football might break out. 90+4 min: Salah attempts one of his long runs but Masina and Guerd come across to stop him. 90+2 min: Elneny concedes a corner, now can Morocco test Abou Gabal’s dodgy groin? Nope, Egypt get the ball clear. 90+1 min: Five minutes added on, and Abou Gabal still refuses to go off. Shades of Les Sealey at Wembley in 1991. 90 min: Into the last minute of normal time, though it’s been far from normal.
Salah tries one of those chases down the wing but is then hauled back for offside. 105 min: Egypt want another and Mohamed whacks the ball long and out. What can Masina and Morocco rescue from this game? They will have fifteen minutes to do so. A yellow card for Abdelmonem and a free-kick for Morocco in the last knockings. Hakimi whacks over and that’s disappointing from him. Half-time in extra time. 102 min: That was the moment Salah had waited for, and he took it with the class we are all acquainted with. Egypt’s job is now to protect that third-choice goalie of theirs. Goal! Egypt 2-1 Morocco (Trezeguet, 100)It was all about Salah, as at last he finds space down the wing as he takes on three defenders, and then passes across goal and Trezeguet keeps his cool and slots in.
Brilliant from Salah. Egypt’s midfielder Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan (2L) shoots and scores. Photograph: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images99 min: A glimmer of a chance as Salah looks to be in, only for the ref to penalise his challenge on Bono in the Moroccan goal. Salah still hasn’t found the service he was looking for. 97 min: Sobhy doesn’t look too secure as the ball is looped into the area and he misses it, only for a defender to clear.