Egypt defeats Algeria 4-0, qualifies for CAN Finals third time in a row

By Mohamad Mahmoud in Cairo
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-01-29

[KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images] Egyptian players and staff celebrate their win over Algeria in a CAN semi-final match.

Egypt's national football team dealt their Algerian rivals a crushing 0-4 defeat Thursday (January 28th) in the semi-finals of the Cup of African Nations (CAN), being held in Angola.

Hosni Abd Rabou scored the first Egyptian goal on a penalty marked by Beninese referee Kofi Kodjia in the 38th minute. Mohamed Zidan scored in the 65th minute. Mohamed Abdelshafy picked up Egypt's third goal at the 80 minute mark. Mohamed Gedo completed the scoring in the third minute of extra time.

Three of Algeria's players were shown the red card, so by the end of the match Algeria could only field eight players. The first to go was Rafik Halliche in the 38th minute, while Nadir Belhadj was sent off in the 70th minute for roughing Egyptian player Ahmad Mohamedi. Goalie Chaouchi was the third to be ejected, having been shown a yellow card in the first half when he attempted to attack the referee after Egypt's penalty kick. Chaouchi was given the red card in the 87th minute.

Egypt will play Ghana on Sunday (January 31st) in the Angolan capital, Luanda, for the CAN championship while Algeria will play Nigeria for third place in Benguela.

The game began without tension, despite concerns on both sides about the possibility of violence breaking out, similar to events that occurred during the World Cup qualifier last November in Sudan, in which Algeria beat Egypt 1-0.

"The Egyptian team gave a steady performance in terms of both attack and defence," Hanan Abdullah, a soccer analyst, told Al-Shorfa. She added that the Egyptians started to pressure the Algerians on their half of the turf "which forced them to rely on long kicks of the ball which the Egyptian defensive players mostly turned aside. Egyptian players made good use of the right side of the defence, relying on the speed of Ahmad Mohamedi." Abdullah also said that when Algerian Rafik Halliche was tossed from the game, it helped the Egyptian squad because the Algerians seemed to be staggered after the ejection.

This is the third time in a row that Egypt has qualified for the CAN finals, having won the last two titles in 2006 and 2008.

Right after the game, most of Cairo's main avenues were blocked as thousands of fans paraded in the streets to celebrate the victory. Gema'at Al-Dewal Al-Arabiya held more than 3,000 fans raising banners and cheering names of some of the Egyptian players .

"They really made us happy," said Mayy Mohamed Hassan, 22. "We enjoyed watching their good performance. This time we won and made up for our defeat in the World Cup qualifiers."

"I am glad we played against Algeria because we needed to meet them on the pitch and restore our dignity so as to be able to turn over a new leaf with the Algerians, when both sides have won," said Emad Abdelazim, a cab driver.

Abdelazim was interrupted by Mohamed Abu Ghali who said, "Both teams were holding it together and players showed a good sporting spirit through the end. I hope Egypt will win the Cup and make all Arabs happy."

It was a different story for Algeria, however, as Algerian players and many fans felt that Beninese referee Kofi Kodjia cost the Desert Foxes the game.

"The referee ruined the match and was biased towards the opponents, prejudiced against us and affected us with his unjust decisions," Algeria captain Yazid Mansouri said. "We have to forget the African Cup and prepare ourselves well for the next World Cup to represent Algeria, Arabs and Africa in the best possible way."

Kamel, a taxi driver in Algiers, believes Algeria should make the best of the defeat by coming back stronger during the World Cup in South Africa. "The upshot of this match is that Algeria is very nervous and at times the team needs to be able to keep themselves in check," he said. In his view, Algeria may have lost out on a place in the final, but they have gained a wonderful football team.

In the meantime, Egyptian fans are getting ready to fly to Angola to attend the final game. Egyptian media said that preparations are underway on the part of the National Sports Council to help more fans make it to the final game. An estimated 1,400 Egyptians will travel to Angola at the state's expense.

Abdou Tajeddine in Algiers contributed to this story.

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