15 - 21 November 2001
Issue No.560
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 15 - 21 November 2001 Issue No.560 |
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Not like champions
Egypt lost to South Africa in the build-up to the African Nations Cup. Inas Mazhar reports on a shaky start
Egypt went down 1-0 to South Africa in a friendly in Johannesburg as both teams prepare for January's African Nations Cup in Mali.
Seven minutes into the second half, Shawn Bartlett netted the game's only goal in a game that produced little evidence that Egypt, a four-time winner of this event, will lift the continent's most prized football trophy for a record fifth time -- at least not next year. Only a couple of reflex saves by net-minder Nader El-Sayed in the second half prevented an embarrassing result.
The two teams had met in the 1998 African final with Egypt emerging victorious 2-0. But three years is an eternity in football and few faces from that winning team remain in the Egyptian line-up.
However, almost the entire team was composed of the same players who failed during the summer to get Egypt into next year's World Cup, thus breaking coach Mahmoud El- Gohari's pledge to bring in some new faces following his team's ouster from the world's No 1 football showcase.
The old faces not surprisingly provided the same old football, the defensive-minded timidity that allows few goals but is far from imaginative and bold at the other end. Treating the game as a friendly instead of viewing it as serious preparatory work, the going for the Egyptians was tough, often tedious, with hardly any movement off the ball. Genuine attacking football was absent. Little determination was evident in the players, the lack of which will complicate matters once the hard work begins in Mali.
The game also revealed a surprising decline in the standard of Egypt's European-based players, the ones El- Gohari depends on so much, some say too much.
South Africa, which is World Cup- bound for the second consecutive time, appeared to be conserving energy for the 2002 extravaganza but showed individual flashes of brilliance, especially up front. It took some exceptional speed and finesse to score as Bartlett latched on to a pass whose origins began from a quick midfield break. Once he got possession, Bartlett, his country's all-time leading scorer with 24 goals, had little trouble slotting the ball past El-Sayed who had charged off his goalline in an attempt to cut the angle.
Because it lacked the intensity of a match that counts, the game was mostly clean, though Egyptians Mohamed Barakat and Ahmed Hassan were shown the yellow card and Ahmed Salah Hosni was sent off in the 75th minute for handling the ball.
Despite the setback, Egypt coach Mahmoud El-Gohari claimed the match was good experience since "it was the first gathering of the team since the World Cup qualifications in July."
El-Gohari said an intensive training session would begin on 23 December, probably in Aswan, until the team flies to Mali. Training will include several friendly matches, including a game with Qatar on 30 December in Qatar. On 4 January, the Pharaohs will play Ghana in Cairo. Mali follows on 7 January and Burkina Faso on 11 January. Arrangements are currently being made for another friendly on 14 January with either African champions Cameroon or North African rival Morocco.
The camp will include 22 players, including all 14 European-based professionals. "We still haven't taken any decisions concerning Yasser Radwan and Mohamed El-Yamani," El-Gohari said. "Both are still injured. We will have to wait to see." Radwan is a veteran of the successful 1998 campaign while El-Yamani helped guide Egypt to third place in this year's world youth football championship in Argentina.
The final Egyptian line-up for the African championship will be announced on 20 December.
Egypt had been scheduled to take on Liberia on 7 November in Cairo in what would have been its first warm- up to Mali, but the game was cancelled only hours before kick-off time after more than half the Liberian squad failed to show up.
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