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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 July - 4 August 1999 Issue No. 440 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 July - 4 August 1999 Issue No. 440
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters
Ibrahim Hassan together with Yasser Radwan celebrating the first
equaliser for Egypt by Abdel-Sattar Sabri against Bolivia
Mediocre show
In front of more than 50,000 spectators, the Egyptian national football team drew 2-2 with Bolivia in their opening match at the Confederations Cup in Mexico City. The Egyptians opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a goal by Austria-based Abdel-Sattar Sabri. Bolivia equalised minutes later before scoring again three minutes before the end of the first half. The second half saw little serious attacking from either team, but a well-executed free-kick by Egypt's Germany-based Yasser Radwan in the 19th minute put the score at 2-2.
The Egyptian team was at its best during the first 15 minutes of the first half, showing some disciplined and aggressive play. But the Bolivians later took the upper hand and Egypt's overall performance was modest. Although three of the team's defenders play professionally abroad, Egypt's defence put up a weak show, allowing the two Bolivian goals.
According to the team's head coach, Mahmoud El-Gohari, Egypt lost a valuable chance to snatch victory and go through to the semifinals. In a press conference following the match he blamed the hot weather for the team's lacklustre performance. "The players were greatly affected by the high temperature, which reached 35 C. They also played under great pressure. It was their first match and they feared the situation, knowing how important every match is and that they have to win," he said.
Other matches: Mexico gave Saudi Arabia a drubbing, beating it 5-1. In the other group, Brazil beat Germany 4-0.
(photo:Reuters)
