African giants Egypt moved closer to a first World Cup appearance since 1990 when they defeated Uganda 1-0 on Tuesday thanks to an early goal from Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah.

A near-capacity crowd in the 85 000-seat Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria saw the June signing from AS Roma strike just six minutes into the Group E clash.

Salah sneaked behind the defence and after goalkeeper Denis Onyango parried his first attempt, he poked the rebound into the net to decide the top-of-the-table showdown.