Egypt s Zamalek suffered a shock exit from the CAF Confederation Cup round of 32 after losing 4-3 on penalties to Ethiopia s Wolaitta Dicha following a 2-2 aggregate draw in Cairo on Sunday. After losing 2-1 in Hawassa earlier this month, Zamalek triumphed with the same scoreline in regular time to force a penalty shootout that condemned them to a bitter exit at the first hurdle.

Liverpool star winger Mohamed Salah believes that Egypt can go far at the 2018 World Cup, adding that he wants to help his club win the UEFA Champions League title this season. "Egypt could go far at the World Cup. The team includes youth players who want to deliver all they can, and the same goes for the experienced ones," Salah said in a press conference in London on Sunday while penning a sponsorship deal with Vodafone.

Egypt s out-of-action national football team have dropped one position in this month s FIFA global rankings, down to 44th place. The Pharaohs are fifth among African countries, behind unchanged places Tunisia (23), Senegal (27), Congo DR (39) and Morocco (42). They are third among Arab countries, after Tunisia and Morocco.

Just few hours after announcing his contract renewal, Ahly announced early on Wednesday that star playmaker Abdallah El-Said has been put on the market without disclosing further details. "The football committee asked the marketing sector to start negotiations to sell Abdallah El-Said or to send him out on loan amid the offers that reached Ahly from clubs outside Egypt," Ahly s football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz was quoted as saying by the club s official website.

Egyptian champions Ahly tied down Abdallah El-Said to a new deal on Tuesday, ending speculation over the future of the veteran playmaker who reports suggested had mulled the prospect of making a shocking move to cross-town rivals Zamalek. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, El-Said was reportedly reluctant to extend his deal after Ahly had made it clear they could not afford to meet his financial demands.

The transfer value of Liverpool s Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah has been estimated at €162.8 million by a CIES Football Observatory study, topping the list of players in the five big European leagues. The 25-year-old Salah leads the list of players, with his value increasing the most over the past six months. His transfer value went up by €74.7 million, while Manchester City duo Ederson Moraes and Leroy Sané increased by €74.4 million and €63 million respectively.

Arsenal s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny said he and his teammates are doing their best to end the season on a high note, insisting that under-fire coach Arsene Wenger is "among the best managers in the world". The Premier League side were dealt three successive league losses before returning to winning ways on Sunday after beating Watford 3-0.

Ahly s Moroccan striker Walid Azaro has been called up by Morocco for the first time since last June, as coach Herve Renard named him in the squad that will prepare this summer s World Cup. Morocco will face Serbia in a friendly game on the 23rd of this month in Italy before meeting Uzbekistan four days later in Casablanca in a World Cup warm-up. Azaro produced many fine displays with Ahly this season, scoring 17 goals to top the Egyptian League s top scorers list.

Egypt s Zamalek suffered a stunning defeat on their opening African Confederation Cup game, falling 2-1 at Ethiopia s Wolaitta Dicha after conceding a late goal in the first-leg of the competition s round of 32 on Wednesday. A sublime volley from Bezabeh Meleyo gave Dicha an early lead but Zamalek winger Emad Fathi pounced on a defensive mistake to level the score seven minutes before the break.

Paris St Germain are hoping their Parc des Princes crowd will help them overturn a 3-1 deficit in their Champions League last-16 return leg against Real Madrid as they try to cope without the injured Neymar. The talismanic Brazilian forward was ruled out of the game on Tuesday after undergoing foot surgery, but PSG coach Unai Emery is confident the home fans will play a key role.

Lionel Messi in full flow is one of the most exhilarating sights in football and a threat that puts defences on red alert, but the Barcelona talisman has become just as dangerous from dead ball situations too. With a perfectly-placed dipping free kick from 23 metres out on Sunday, Messi beat Atletico Madrid s wall and towering goalkeeper Jan Oblak to earn Barcelona a vital 1-0 win over their La Liga title rivals at Camp Nou.

Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City beat champions Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to extend their lead to 18 points and leave the London side further adrift from the Champions League qualification spots. After Chelsea s defensive approach resulted in a first-half stalemate, City went ahead 33 seconds into the second period when Bernardo Silva turned in a low cross from David Silva.

Marwan Mohsen, who struggled with a year-long injury, scored his first goal in 14 months as Ahly moved one victory away from a third straight Egyptian Premier League triumph after beating Dakhleya 3-0 on Wednesday. Coming on as a second-half substitute, the Egypt striker broke the resistance of a brave Dakhleya side after scoring a fortuitous goal five minutes past the hour mark before laying off the third for the league s top scorer Walid Azaro with four minutes remaining.

Zamalek recorded their biggest victory yet under Ihab Galal and extended their winning run to six matches after crushing Talae El-Geish 3-0 at Cairo Stadium on Tuesday. First-half goals from midfielder Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, defender Mahmoud Alaa and striker Kabongo Kasongo gave Zamalek all three points, in a game that saw in-form keeper Ahmed El-Shennawi block a Geish penalty.

Zamalek are set to face Talae El-Geish in the 27th matchday of the Egyptian Premier League on Tuesday, a week before kicking off their CAF Confederation Cup campaign. "The El-Geish match is very important. It s a good warm-up ahead of very tough domestic and continental games," the Cairo-based club s coach Ihab Galal was quoted as telling players during training.

Skipper Hossam Ghaly, a darling of Ahly supporters, confirmed that he would retire at the end of the season, bringing the curtain down on an 18-year career that is equally marked by controversy and brilliance on the pitch. In a lengthy interview with Al-Ahram s daily newspaper, Ghaly said he had decided to hang up his boots and embark on an administrative career, although he declined to confirm if his new role will be at boyhood club Ahly, where he came across as a promising youngster in 2000.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised the performance of Egypt s winger Mohamed Salah after he equalled Harry Kane s 23 goals at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) scoring charts on Saturday, breaking the league s record. Salah caught up with Kane on Saturday by scoring and providing an assist in Liverpool s 4-1 rout of West Ham United at Anfield.

Ahly moved within touching distance of a third straight Egyptian Premier League title after a late goal from Junior Ajayi gave them a 2-1 win over El-Entag El-Harby at Cairo Stadium on Saturday. The Nigerian forward atoned for an earlier stunning miss when he drilled home on the rebound with 13 minutes remaining as the irresistible Red Devils grabbed a 13th consecutive victory to move a step closer towards retaining their title. Winger Ahmed Hamoudi, who was taken off before halftime after picking up an injury, put Ahly ahead after 10 minutes with a fine chip but Khaled Kamar converted a penalty signaled by the additional assistant referee to restore parity a few minutes later.

Canadian skier Chris Del Bosco suffered a suspected broken pelvis in a brutal 100-foot fall in the men s ski cross.

After suffering a 0-1 defeat at Burkina Faso the Gabon champions have hit back scoring two goals at the d Angondjé stadium, winning 2-1 on aggregate.

During a long interview to the official FIFA website on Wednesday, Egypt winger Ahmed Elmohamady praised his national team coach Hector Cuper and teammates striker Mohamed Salah and goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary for their efforts in ending 28 years of Egypt s absence from the World Cup finals. "Cuper is one of the greatest coaches we ve ever had in the national team. Also, I think the experience in the team is important. You see the goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary -- he s 45. In the camps, in the games, he s talking to the players and giving all of his experience to his teammates," Elmohamady said.