We are the Champions!

Egypt have done the unthinkable. We have won the Africa Cup of Nations for an unimaginable record third successive time. Congratulations are in order for Shehata and his men. They have proved once again that it is very unwise to count Egypt out.

The final game was a classic match up between the experience of Egypt and the youth of Ghana. Both teams were playings their record 8th final. The game itself couldn't be further from a classic. To put it in a nut shell it was by all means forgettable. Non the less most finals are tightly contested affairs as the stakes are so much higher in these types of games.

Egypt surprisingly started out with a 4-4-2 formation with Ghaly in midfield instead of the suspended Fathalla. Fathi provided additional cover for the defense, dropping deep when ever it was required. Hani Said moved up into central defense. Other wise it was the exact same team that has started the knock-out stages. Egypt controlled possession in the first half but failed to create any chances. It was ever so evident that Meteb was playing with and injury in addition to fatigue. His ever deadly direct runs all fell short of reaching the ball in any dangerous position. Egypt had no movement about them and it seemed that the effort of playing top teams like Nigeria, Cameroon and Algeria in very close proximity was taking it's toll. Frankly who would not feel tired, yet the Egyptian team was still very disciplined. They were playing a Ghana team who was not just younger but had played 120minutes less than Egypt (1 less group game and no extra time).

Ghana set up to restrict space playing 10 men behind the ball with Gyan upfront supported by Asamoah and another on the break. They looked dangerous on the counter without really threatening in the first half. Defensively they were very solid and Egypt could not find any space. They forced the Egyptian to lose the ball more often than not.

In the second half fatigue was showing even more but credit to the Egyptian players they kept composed and disciplined. Wael Gomaa was a solid rock marking Gyan who was a handful and restricted him to long range shots which were less dangerous than the alternative. Hani Said was everywhere with his covering runs to close up spaces left by Gomaa's tight marking of Gyan. Ghana growing in stature after the poor Egyptian first half came on the offensive and forced Egypt back to their own half. They missed some good chances and left some space at the back which was ultimately their undoing.

With the game heading for extra-time (or a late Ghana winner) substitute Geddo took the ball and ran at the Ghanaian defense. The next 5 seconds were magical. Passing the ball to Zidan who executed an inch perfect one-two with Geddo, who had run close to 25yards now, behind the Ghana defenders. Make no mistake Geddo had still a lot to do. "El Phenomino" of Angola 2010 and the tournament top scorer criminally controlled the ball between 3 defenders while running and critically finished off with a placed shot with his right foot in the far side netting. Game Over! Geddo had done it again and won the game and the tournament for Egypt. I will be looking forward to seeing Geddo more and more in the Egyptian league and against England at Wembley in March. The boy has a fantastic touch and an ice cold finish.

Like all great teams Egypt needed just once chance to win the game. Like all great teams they did not have to play beautifully and win on the night. Tired and exhausted they got the job done. They are definitely in my mind one of the greatest teams in Africa Cup history.

After the game I was extremely happy but continuing to read online about the game caused sadness to creep into my heart. I still can't believe Egypt is not in the World Cup. It is unimaginable to me that come June I will not be seeing these players at the World's greatest stage. Shehata has done a lot to redeem himself for his failure to qualify. I am yet to realize that I will ever forgive him for that but one thing is for certain, after Angola he has without a doubt earned my and all his critics' respect.

When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going

Yesterday saw Egypt take on Rwanda in a must win game for Egypt if they would have any chance of qualifying for next years' World Cup. As the pole here suggested no one really knew what to expect from this game. Egypt are well renowned for buckling away from home and they were up against a team that hasn't lost a game at home for two years, until yesterday that is.

It is common knowledge to people who know me that I'm not a fan of Hassan Shehata, I am a fan of Egypt however and there is a huge distinction. I may not agree with his tactical choices and selection but by god if he takes us to the World Cup I'll be waving a flag and calling his name. Yesterday we got some hope back by beating Rwanda 1-0 and we are joint top of our qualification group with Algeria pending their game tonight versus Zambia, pressure is on them now. The game was a confusing and boring affair with neither team really threatening but what one could tell Egypt wanted it more. The contest was settled by Egyptian Captain Ahmed Hassan midway through the second half after a goal mouth scramble. The Eagle was the best player on the field although he seemed to run out of gas completely in the second half, that tells you much about his team mates. Egypt were missing alot of key players, alot of offensive options to be exact. Zaki, Meteb and AbuTrieka were all missing due to injury. Mido was unfit and Zidan had personal issues with Shehata. As a result Egypt had to field the 5th, 6th and 7th choice strikers. Honestly they are not up to par but hats off to them for giving it a go in the game, especially Dodi El Gabbas who put in a real fighting effort.

The Egyptian team overall was very poor except for the back three of Hany Said, Gomaa and Ocka. However they were never really tested. Hadary was average and made two decent saves although he messed up a back pass and looked very weak in handling crosses. It would do us good to start grooming a replacement. The midfield was a joke. Shawky was in a different planet and the lack of first team football must be affecting him while Abd Rabo was a ghost of his former self and frankly should not start for Egypt anymore. Him playing in a very weak league (Emirates League) has definitely contributed to his poor form. It would do us better to play Fathi in midfield as the poor lad can't cross a ball to save his life and playing him in the right wing back position makes him and us look foolish. Mohamady could be played there instead although he is known for his defensive frailties. There would be no better time to call up Hossam Ashour to fill this void in midfield. The boy puts his head down and plays football and has been doing that consistently for the past 4 or so years. Ghaly is another option although I'm not sure about him. The only breath of fresh air for Egypt was Barakat. He has proved once again that he is a player for the big occasions and having him in the squad as a starter or a sub will always add an exciting dimension to the team going forward. Negatives aside, it was a good win away from home, a win which we needed and that we got even though we were missing alot of key players. For once we showed that we are tough enough to play poorly and get the three points. Hopefully this can be a foundation to build on the remaining two games although winning them might still not be enough due to goal difference. Why were we wasting time against a hopeless Rwanda towards the end? Didn't the coach and players know that one more goal might have been just what the doctor ordered? I hope we don't live to regret this.

The best thing in the game was the referee, albeit a few mistakes here and there, but the worse was definitely ART commentator Essam Abdo (apologies if that's not his name). This guy talked nonsense through out the game it was frankly distracting. At one point he suggested that 17,000 people from the London and the whole of England proceeded to Birmingham to watch the game? Really? is this guy for real? The only place in the UK were you can watch this bloody game is Birmingham of all places! He seems to forget that one underground station from Oxford street he can go about and watch possibly El Gouna take on Mansheyet Nasser in Edgewar Road!!! He wasn't done there he was almost crying like a baby and calling the referee unfair cause of four added minutes of injury time, grow up will you Mr. Abdo, we are playing Rwanda and not Brazil. What really bugged me though was how he was portraying the game in a religious context. He kept insisting that please god since we were fasting and since this was Ramadan we must win and comments like that throughout the game. Mr. Abdo seems to forget that half the team from Rwanda were Muslims too, and that football was a sport and has nothing to do with religious beliefs. And like a famous sports writer in EL Masry EL Yome once said that if praying and fasting were the criteria for winning games and not skill then the Taliban would win the World Cup and dominate the Olympics!!!!

Cote D'Ivoire officially qualified yesterday after a 5-0 mauling of Burkina Faso. Cameroon found itself in a tough spot and beat group leaders Gabon away 2-0. This is the toughness we were always lacking and possibly might have found in Rwanda of all places. However don't be surprised if we lose it once again in Zambia.

Sherif Abdel Fadeel to Ahly

For the past week I have been reading news about Sherif Abdel Fadeel's transfer from Ismaily to Zamalek, then to Ahly, to Zamalek and finally to Ahly. There seems to be no easy straight forward way for transfers to come about in the Egyptian market especially when it involves the 3 footballing superpowers, Ahly, Zamalek and Ismaily. Who can forget last years antics regarding Egyptian International Defender Hani Said? His transfer from Ismaily to Zamalek involved car chases, kidnappings and an alleged assault with a deadly weapon!!!! So by comparison this transfer saga seems smooth. My problem is not where he ended up at or why did he change his destination in the 11th hour from Zamalek to Ahly. My problem arises form the half truths and sometimes outright lies we hear from officials and individuals who are directly involved in these transfers. Did Sherif's brother really walk away from the negotiating table cause Zamalek offered L.E. 1.45m and he wanted 1.5m ? Surely Adebayor wouldn't have rejected City for £1000 a week less? And then I read some place that an expert is saying that Ahly won't be able to register Abdel Fadeel for the new season. I'd like to see this guy eat his words when he finds Sherif wearing the famous Red and White Ahly jersey next season. For once I'd like people to own up to what they say when they are proven wrong or when they make stuff up.

The deal reportedly went through for L.E 7.5m with Ahly right back Ahmed Sedeeq

going to Ismaily in a part-exchange deal. While I will be saddened to see the dedicated, ever professional flying wing back Sedeeq (I like to call "kahraba" due to his electric pace) go, it seems Ahly have done good business this time around. While in my opinion no one Egyptian player is worth L.E. 1m, let alone L.E. 7.5, but this is a discussion for another time. Abdel Fadeel is currently one of the leading Centre Backs in the country and he can also play on the right side of defense. The boy can play football and has incredible physique. He joins an Ahly team whose defense is in dire need of an upgrade. Gomaa is getting too old and while he is still a top defender his legs can't keep up with him anymore. Mohamed Samir is inexperienced and finally there is Ahmed El Sayed....well...need I say more? It remains to be seen if Sherif can prove to be the missing peace of the puzzle and honestly despite his ability the odds are stacked against him since no matter how hard you try it is almost impossible to keep a clean sheet with no goalie between the posts :P