Late goal gives Egypt enough for win, World Cup playoff
The Source: bikyamasr.com - 15/11/2009
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Egypt-Algeria.filgoalCAIRO: The mood was somber at a Cairo cafe as the clock struck the 90-minute mark and Egypt was leading their Algerian rivals 1-0. Any other day and that would have been met with excitement and cheering, but not on Saturday night, where anything less than a two goal victory would send the Pharaohs out of any World Cup 2010 visit. Instead, Egyptians erupted in crazed celebration five minutes later as Emad Moteab punched through a second goal with little time to spare.
Spirits were rocking in Cairo as fans poured onto the streets hours before the match. Demonstrations of youth clad in the red, white and black of Egypt strolled the streets chanting “Egypt.” The match had brought the country together.
Amr Zaki gave Egypt something to cheer about only two minutes into the match, scoring what fans hoped was to be the first of many goals. But, they had to wait more than 90 minutes before the second goal reached the back of the net to celebrate.“We are going to South Africa. It is just one more match and we know that after this game we can beat them [Algeria] without worry. I will be here on Wednesday to watch,” argued Mahmoud Abaza, a 20-year-old university student, his face painted with the colors of the Egyptian flag. “It is a good moment for Egypt.”Now, the two squads will head to Sudan for a Wednesday match to determine who will represent Group C in South Africa next June. Both North African nations finished with identical records atop the group table and will face a play-off for the final African spot.However, despite the emotional outburst that led to sporadic street celebrations, the match was marred by violence before Saturday’s kick-off.FIFA had warned Egypt on Friday that it needed to increase security in order to avoid any further altercations between players, fans and pretty much everyone else ahead of Saturday’s big match-up, which could determine which nation heads to South African next June.“We are excited and we want to destroy Algeria. It is our destiny to play in the World Cup and nothing will stop us,” said local taxi driver Ahmed. His taxi was covered in Egyptian flags and the radio was blasting news of the upcoming match.But, the emotional lead-up to the match has been marred by violence. FIFA confirmed that fans had thrown stones at the Algerian team, wounding three players as they were taken to their hotel on Friday. The world football governing body has said it will consider action to be taken upon reviewing a report on the incident from their representatives in Cairo.“We saw that three players had been injured — Khaled Lemmouchia on the head, Rafik Halliche above the eye and Rafik Saifi on the arm,” FIFA representative Walter Gagg told reporters on Friday. “These weren’t superficial injuries,” he stressed.It is unclear if any disciplinary action will be taken. For now, at least, Egyptians are united in the cause of football.“We want another victory and we are certain our team will bring us more glory,” Ahmed Yunis, a 38-year-old Egyptian said on Sunday morning.
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