Egypt officials sacrifice cow for better fortune at AFCON

The Egyptian Football Federation sacrificed a cow in an attempt to bring more luck to the team at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Team spokesman Mohamed Morad told The Associated Press on Friday that the federation had killed the cow and distributed the meat to people in need in Cairo the day before.

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Egypt, which has yet to win a match, will face DR Congo on Sunday in the round of 16 in San Pedro. The team's flight from Abidjan to San Pedro was delayed by an hour on Friday.

The Egyptian campaign was marked by injuries. The Pharaohs lost star Mohamed Salah to a hamstring injury in their second group match, then lost goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy to a dislocated shoulder in the third and final group match.

Emam Ashour was hospitalized Wednesday night with a concussion after suffering a head injury in training. He has since joined the team.

Egyptian players reportedly sacrificed a calf during training before winning the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.

Seven-time world champions Egypt have drawn all three of their group matches. But so does the Congo. Only one will win on Sunday.