Egypt U17s thrash Saudi Arabia 5-0 in Gulf Cup opener

Egypt Under-17s began their Gulf Cup campaign with a convincing 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the opening round of the group stage.

The match remained goalless until the 54th minute, when Mohamed Gamal gave Egypt the lead. Ziad Saudi doubled their advantage in the 80th minute before Ahmed Safwat added a third five minutes later.

Khaled Mahmoud extended Egypt’s lead in the sixth minute of added time, and Ahmed Bashir completed the scoring with the fifth goal two minutes later.

The Gulf Cup for Under-17s is being hosted by Qatar from 17 October to 5 November. Egypt are in Group B alongside Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Kuwait.

Egypt’s participation in the tournament forms part of their final preparations for next month’s Under-17 World Cup, which will also be held in Qatar.

At the World Cup, Egypt have been drawn in Group A with Qatar, Panama and Greece.

The Egypt Under-17 team secured their place at the global tournament after finishing third at the Africa Cup of Nations held in Morocco.