Egypt Open In Style

Hosts Egypt provided plenty for the home crowd to be positive about when they cantered to a 4-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the opening game of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup at the Egyptian Army Stadium in Alexandria. A feisty opening half-hour saw chances go in both directions, although the first real threat came when Jean-Luc Rochford's free-kick was beaten away by Egypt keeper Aly Lofty. The tide was decided in the hosts' direction when Afroto powered his way into the box and slid the ball under the keeper on the half-hour mark. The youngsters from T &T didn�t take long to respond � Rochford showing great skill and composure to turn in the box and slot past Lofty. But the balance of power was firmly with the Africans and, backed by the overwhelming majority of an 84 000 strong crowd, which included Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and FIFA President Sepp Blatter, they continued to hustle their opponents off the park. T & T were not helped by goalkeeper Glenroy Samuel's weakness with long-range efforts and they paid the price. First he spilled a free-kick, gifting Hosam Arafat a simple tap-in six minutes after the break. And shortly after the hour, he parried Ahmed's effort only as far as Mohammed Talaat. The big number 9 swallowed the gift gratefully. The goalie was then left helpless when Arafat cracked in a sweet effort on the stroke of time.