Hosts Egypt win opening game of Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt struggled through their opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Friday, but still managed to beat outsiders Zimbabwe 1-0 in Cairo.

Egypt has put it hopes in Liverpool legend Mo Salah but the first performance of the tournament lacked much of the lustre the host nation were looking for.

Trezeguet scored the only goal of the game just before half-time, with Saleh unable to find the net, the Zimbabweans proved to be a much more difficult opponent to overcome than was expected.

The misses ultimately didn't cost Egypt any points and they secured the opening victory they craved.

Egypt is hosting its first major sporting event since the 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak with years of violence seen since then, including an Islamic State group insurgency in the Sinai and bombings across the country.

Cairo put in place a vast security plan for the African Cup, which has seen the number of teams increased from 16 to 24 teams. 

But Egypt has also seen intense government suppression and human rights abuses, including against pro-democracy activists.

Egypt's first-democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi - who was overthrown by the military in 2013 - collapsed and died in a Cairo courtroom this week.

Current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi - a former military general who is believed to have led the coup - attended the game and gave a speech before an opening ceremony.

He is hoping the game will cast Egyptian security in a positive light and help boost the country's ailing tourism industry.

Around 75,000 Egyptians packed the Cairo International Stadium, which was at its 75,000 capacity, wearing red of the national team and waving flags.

Egypt has won the African Cup a record seven times, picking up its last title in 2010. Egypt then failed to qualify for the next three tournaments before Salah helped lead the country to the final two years ago, when it lost to Cameroon.