The Elephants stomp on the Pharaohs

ABIDJAN (GoPharaohs.com) - Ivory Coast dealt the death blow to Egypt’s world cup qualification hopes, as two goals by Chelsea star Didier Drogba to nothing ensured Egypt’s fourth consecutive failed qualification campaign since 1990.

Egypt kicked off with a lineup consisting of Nader El Sayed, Emad El Nahhas, Wael Gomaa, Beshir El Tabeiy, Hosny Abd Rabbo, Ahmed Fathy, Tarek El Sayed, Mohamed Shawky, Mohamed Abu Treika, Mohamed Barakat, and Abdel Halim Aly.

First Half:

Dindane sparked an uproar in the stadium with a blistering shot that Nader El Sayed barely managed to keep out, 4 minutes from kickoff. A header from the ensuing corner almost dealt a blow to the national team, but Nader’s efforts kept the header out of the net before the referee halted play for an Egyptian free kick as Egypt scrambled to get a grip on things. Barakat almost netted one past the keeper following a defensive error, but the ball was too close to the keeper Jean-Jacques Tizie. Nahhas earned the game’s first booking after obstructing Aruna Dindane near the area. Dindane was at hand for the cross once again which Nader El Sayed managed to keep at bay.

A Drogba chip pass almost saw an Ivorian striker go solo with Nader, but Beshir stepped in with a timely clearance 15 minutes into this tense affair, as the number of Egyptian mispasses skyrocketed. Approximately 20 minutes into the game, Egypt slowed into a more controlled pace, aiming at more ball possession as an anxious Ivorian side slowed down. A run down the right flank by Ahmed Fathy saw a cross to Abdel Halim that was barely cleared by Toure as the Egyptians gained composure. Abdel Halim earned a booking after a tackle that brought down Drogba, though chaos ensued soon after as Drogba rose to push the Egyptian striker, before an obviously nervous referee intervened.

A Beshir blunder left Dindane in a one-on-one with the keeper, but the Ivorian’s powerful strike fortunately went wide as Egypt once more strangely descended into defensive play. Some solid defending by Nahhas barely managed to subdue an Ivorian effort in the area. Waves of Ivorian attacks continued as Aruna Dindane, in an impressive display of individual skill, outclasses Tarek El Sayed and Wael Gomaa, before his cross to Drogba was intercepted. Another defensive blunder by Beshir gave Dindane all the leeway he needed to make an easy cross from barely 6 yards out, only for Drogba to place the ball into the back of the net, scoring Ivory Coast’s opener, 40 minutes into the game. Tarek El Sayed’s lacklustre defending of the left flank almost saw Dindane make another glorious run, but a blatant foul against the Ivorian was ignored by the referee. An uneventful 3 minutes of injury time concluded the disappointing debacle that was the first half.

Second Half:

Chelsea forward Didier Drogba deepened Egyptian wounds only 2 minutes into the second half with a powerful long range effort that caught the defense and the keeper off-guard, after Mido was subbed in during half-time for Ahmed Fathy. Effectively sealing the Egyptian team’s fate. Amr Zaki was soon subbed in for Abdel Halim Aly. Egypt regained some control as the confident Ivorians settled into more relaxed gameplay. A dangerous free kick was executed perfectly by Abd Rabbo, but the rebound from the keeper was cleared by the defence for a fruitless corner.

A precise cross from a corner saw Mido’s header rebound off the keeper, but Amr Zaki’s follow-up amounted to nothing. Mido seemed to reignite Egyptian hopes after a pass from Abu Treika saw Mido send the ball past the keeper to a raised flag by the linesman for a questionable offside. As Ivory Coast resumed their relaxed attitude, coach Hassan Shehata used up his last card by subbing in rumored-to-be-injured Ahmed Hassan. An excellent through pass by Hassan saw Mido’s shot rebound off the keeper, but the real catch came with a lob that landed in Amr Zaki’s lap with no-one between him and the keeper, but a talentless and weak effort saw Jean-Jacques Tizie easily gain control of the ball. Wael Gomaa earned his first booking this evening, which was the highlight of the last 10 minutes as both teams seemed content with the result, before Drogba was subbed out to much fanfare.

Ivory Coast came close once again with a low shot that almost tricked Nader. The ensuing corner wreaked havoc in the Egyptian defence, but Dindane’s powerful cross was not matched. A cross by Ahmed Hassan saw an inadequate Mido header miss the goal entirely. An excellent group effort was crowned with a shot from outside the area by Akaly, but the ball went just wide. Four minutes of injury time separated Ivory Coast from victory, and the minutes expectedly rolled on without event.

Conclusion:

As Egypt’s world cup hopes were smashed under the collective boots of Aruna Dindane, Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, and the other Ivorian stars, as well as masterful tactics by Henri Michel, the inevitable truth is that the Egyptian national team was incredibly outclassed in Abidjan by a team that, for all intents and purposes, would make perfect representatives of the Dark Continent in the Germany 2006, to recreate Senegal’s excellent run under Bruno Metsu in 2002. While the indomitable Lions of Cameroon remain in contention, it seems unlikely that Ivory Coast would give up their group lead at home against the Lions. Meanwhile the newly appointed Egyptian FA needs some serious re-evaluation, and should not accept mediocre coaching at the helm. Time will only tell if this team with amateurish yet definitely talented individuals can make a mark in the African Cup of Nations hosted by the Pharoahs next year.