CAIRO: Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian football fans flooded the streets all over the country to celebrate Egypt’s 4-0 victory over Algeria in the semifinal of the African Cup of Nations in Angola.
As soon as referee Coffi Codja sounded his final whistle until the early hours of Friday morning, people burst with joy onto the streets, shooting fireworks and waving flags
Egypt plays Ghana next Sunday in a final that could earn it an unprecedented third consecutive title as Africa’s top team.
“We tore the Algerian team into shreds and showed the whole world their bad sportsmanship, said Egyptian fan Ahmed Said.
“Ghana’s game will be easier; we are in better shape and have been playing better football, he added.
“We played better because we owned the midfield; the referee made some mistakes but we were better and deserve to go to the final, said another fan Mohamed Gamal.
“If we play against Ghana the way we did today, we will win but Ghana is a strong team and can defend a goal well so we shouldn’t play the way we did against Mozambique, he added.
Elated motorists sounded their car horns as they roamed the streets of Cairo with flags waving from car windows all night.
Celebrations even resonated in Gaza as hundreds of Palestinians reportedly rushed to the streets carrying Egyptian flags to mark the national team’s victory.
The international press also hailed the Egyptian team for their fabulous performance and bemoaned the “lack of discipline in the Algerian team.
“Egypt didn’t just beat Algeria tonight; they humiliated them, rendering them an ill-disciplined rabble who finished the game with just eight men, British newspaper The Guardian said in its review.
“Conquerors and superiors in the game, the Pharaohs took advantage of the nervousness of the Fennecs eventually reduced to eight, and the reluctance of the referee, to earn their ticket to the final against Ghana, French football magazine, L’Equipe said.
On the other hand, Algerian newspapers blamed the wide score on the referee and accused Egypt of “bribing him to facilitate their victory.
Egypt will have to beat a young Ghanaian team, mainly comprising their U-20 players who were crowned as world champions in the U-20 World Cup in Egypt four months ago.
Egypt dominated the tournament from the very beginning, beating superpowers like Nigeria, Cameroon and scoring 14 goals and conceding only two goals, while Ghana had an easier road to the final.
The Black Stars began with a disappointing result against Cote d’Ivoire losing 3-1 to the Elephants, then beating Burkina Faso 1-0 and then hosts Angola and Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter final and the semi-final.
Their game against Togo was canceled when Togo pulled out of the tournament, following an armed assault by Angolan rebels on the team’s bus, leaving three dead and others wounded.
The young Ghanaians were characterized by their defensive tactics, usually scoring a goal early in the first half and then falling back in defense. Key players in the team are the experienced keeper Kingston, Andre Ayew and striker Asamoah Gyan.
The Pharaohs on the other hand proved themselves the best team in the installment of the tournament with their fast-paced attacks as they were the only team to win all nine points in the group stage, reaching their third consecutive final and the eighth in their history.
For the final, however, Egyptian coach Hassan Shehata will have to plan the game without injured Emad Meteb and suspended Mahmoud Fathallah. Possible replacements are Abdel Zaher El Saqqa and Mohamed Geddo or Ahmed Raouf.
While Egypt will be looking for its third consecutive title, several of its players will be looking for personal title. Should Egypt win the Sunday game, team captain Ahmed Hassan and goal keeper Essam El-Hadary would be the only African players to lift the African Cup four times; Geddo could become the tournament s top scorer, while Ahmed Hassan will be looking for the most valuable player prize.
Egypt beat Cote d Ivoire in 2006 CAN final in Cairo through penalty kicks (5-4) and beat Cameroon 1-0 in Accra in 2008.
