Egypt U19 vs Russia U19

Russia U19 produced a commanding display to beat Egypt U19 5-2 in Cairo, bouncing back emphatically from their 3-1 defeat in the opening fixture just three days prior. The tone was set inside the first minute when Smirnov put the visitors ahead — a lightning start that Egypt never truly recovered from. Alekseyev doubled the advantage in the 12th minute, sending Russia into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead. Egypt gave themselves hope in the 54th minute to make it 2-1, but Russia responded ruthlessly — Gerasimov (65'), Belov (68'), and Vorontsov (77') put the result beyond doubt before a hosts' consolation deep in stoppage time completed the 2-5 scoreline. For Russia U19, confined to friendly competition since 2022, this was a genuine statement — five scorers and a dominant away performance. Egypt U19 can take some comfort from winning the series opener, but the second-half defensive collapse is something their coaching staff will need to address quickly.