Taming the tiger

Egypt managed a win against World Cup giant killers South Korea, reports Abeer Anwar

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Mohamed Abu Treika, No 22, against South Korea

Egypt beat South Korea 1-0 in a football friendly in Seoul as it gears up for a crucial World Cup qualification clash with Libya.

South Korea, which has made five appearances in the World Cup as opposed to Egypt's two, has 2006 ambitions of its own and is also preparing for a tough qualification encounter with Kuwait.

South Korea, which co-hosted the 2002 World Cup along with Japan, stunned the football world when it finished fourth in the tournament. But against Egypt on Friday, the team was a mere shadow of itself. South Korea's Dutch coach, Jo Bonfrere, ironically a former coach of Egypt's star club Ahli in the 2002-2003 season, attributed the loss to the absence of several key players due to injury. But Bonfrere, who was at the helm when Nigeria won the 1996 football gold at the Atlanta Games, conceded Egypt was better and deserved to win.

On the other side the spotlight shone on Egypt's coach Hassan Shehata. Shehata was officially appointed coach last month after filling in temporarily for Marco Tardelli, the Italian who guided the team in its first five 2006 qualifying matches. Egypt's record at the mid-way point of the qualifications is disappointing. The team is five points adrift of league leaders Ivory Coast.

Egypt's predicament led to Tardelli leaving and Shehata moving in. However, his appointment was not automatic. Names of at least three foreign coaches, including former French midfield star Jean Tigana, surfaced more than once before the federation eventually decided Shehata was the best man for the job.

Egypt's next game in World Cup qualifications is against Libya in Cairo in March. In the first leg, Libya humbled Egypt 2-1 in Tripoli.

Shehata must concentrate not just on the 2006 World Cup but the 2006 African Cup of Nations which Egypt, a four-time holder, is hosting.

In Seoul, Egypt played one of its best matches using the 4-4-2 attacking plan. "The players were previously unable to adopt the style because they did not know their roles but after each one learned what was expected of him it proved very successful."

Egypt attacked from the start and it paid off. Emad Metab translated the offensive, scoring the sole goal of the game in the 19th minute.

In the second half, the South Koreans started to reorganise themselves but goalkeeper Nader El-Sayed and a tight defence proved too much.

Shehata said the players did their best. "I'm very satisfied because the players we have chosen have proven their worth. We still have a long way to go but I still have hope and I will do my best to give Egypt the chance to take part in the 2006 World Cup."

Egypt's world ranking currently stands at 33, one place up from December.