Winter warm-up

Under scattered showers, Egypt tuned up for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reports

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Magdi Abdel-Ati, top left, and Abou Treika, above, trying to penetrate Uganda's defence and create chances

Egypt beat Uganda 3-0 in a friendly soccer game in Cairo under overcast skies and intermittent showers in preparation for the resumption of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers in March.

In March Egypt host Libya, a team which beat them 2-1 in the first leg of the qualifiers. Egypt are currently in third place in their World Cup group, five points adrift of leaders Ivory Coast with five games remaining. Only the top country from each of the five African groups will qualify for the 2006 World Cup to be staged in Germany.

Uganda also used the game as a tune-up for their vital away tie against South Africa in the same competition.

But the Cranes were inexperienced and the Pharaohs capitalised. Egypt started the game well in terms of ball possession but the chances were few. The home side though opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a goal from Amr Zaki from a penalty kick.

In the second half the hosts put on the pressure. The result was two goals and two close shaves for Uganda. Mohamed Shawki scored the second goal for Egypt in the 64th minute before Zaki added a third three minutes later.

So simple was the win that the LE300,000 that Egypt paid to hold it, tickets and accommodations included, appeared bloated and not commensurate with the standard of the opponent.

Egypt had previously played Uganda 14 times, winning 10, drawing twice and losing twice.

Egypt's Hassan Shehata was participating in only his second and last game as coach. Shehata took charge in October in the wake of the dismissal of Italian Marco Tardelli at the end of the first round of the World Cup qualifiers.

The association will name either Portuguese Humberto Coelho or the Pole Henry Kasperzack. They will be given one week to reply to the association's offer. If there is no reply then the German Theo Bucker, Ismaili's recently fired coach, will most likely get the nod. If that does not pan out, then Shehata might eventually stay on. In any event, the salary is expected to be $20,000 a month.

"I'm happy with the result and I wish all the best for the new coach," Shehata said after the match. "I tried to depend on youth and to broaden the scope of choice for the new coach. The team should not depend on just the pros because they might not always be ready."

Consequently, Shehata introduced Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malik who cooked up the second goal.

Shehata, a midfield star for Zamalek in the 1970s, coached Egypt's U-20 squad to victory in the African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso but his apex was reached when he steered second division side the Arab Contractors to two consecutive stunning wins against Ahli and Zamalek in the finals of last year's Egyptian Cup and Super Cup.

While Shehata was in his last game for Egypt, it was Alaa Morsi's first game as coach of Uganda. Morsi, an Egyptian, said he had benefited from the loss. "Egypt is a strong contender and only strong teams capitalise on the mistakes of losers. I'll do my best to correct the mistakes in the team before we go to Johannesburg in March," Morsi said.

Despite losing 3-0 to the Pharaohs, the Uganda's assistant coach Jackson Mayanja said he was worried about his team's fitness. "As far as I can see their fitness level is not good, but it was an attempt to learn many things from the more experienced Egyptians," Mayanja said.

The Cranes, who failed to get past the group stages of the just concluded Al- Amoudi Senior Challenge Cup in Ethiopia, will reportedly have two other big build-ups before meeting South Africa. They will travel to the US before the end of this month after which they will visit Saudi Arabia, Zanzibar and Qatar.