RUSTENBURG, South Africa: Egypt s coaching staff blamed its collapse against the United States on a tough Confederations Cup schedule and injuries to key players.
Assistant coach Chawki Gharib said that playing two of the world s top ranked teams in Brazil and World Cup holder Italy had exhausted the African champions, who could not recover with just three days between games.
Tonight we knew fatigue would be a factor if we could get the lead, United States coach Bob Bradley said. Italy is a great team but you sensed watching Egypt the other night, they put a lot into our game and they looked tired.
Egypt had been favored over the United States to reach the semifinals but rather than picking up an expected win, lost 3-0 and left the tournament in last place in Group B.
We didn t have time to heal and prepare ourselves between matches, Gharib said through a translator. We had fatigue and that is also due to a lack of concentration.
Egypt was already without striker Mohamed Zidan because of a hamstring injury and sustained more injuries during what turned out to be its final match in the tournament.
Today we lost Ahmed Fathi and Ahmed Abdelghani, Gharib said. All these players were injured and we have tried to inject new blood.
We tried to play better but we accept this weakness that we had tonight. It is necessary that we prepare and motivate our players to perform in future.
These are the players we have. They are the players that won the match against Italy.
But Zidan s absence was glaring.
Abdelghani showed three times in the first 13 minutes why he was only a replacement for the player who scored twice in the opening 4-3 loss to Brazil.
He shot high and wide when he had time to compose himself for an effort on target and then swung his right leg at a cross from the right only to miss and fall over. And when the ball came to him during a scramble in front of the Americans goal, he swung and missed again. Jay DeMerit blocked a follow-up shot and the danger was cleared.
Only goalkeeper Essam El Hadary kept Egypt in the game until two second-half goals, but the key player in Egypt s 1-0 win over Italy played a part in a mix up with two defenders that led to Davies 21st-minute goal.
Bradley made it 2-0 in the 63rd with a low shot and Dempsey secured the most improbable of semifinal spots with a diving header eight minutes later.
The loss meant that Egypt, which had been on course for the semifinals but resorted to untidy long passes during the game, finished last in the four-team group on goal difference.
It is the first time for us we have seen this style of football, Gharib said through a translator. We have seen the pressure exerted by the U.S. team. This is not the way we play football. The long balls were the result of pressure by the U.S. team.
The first goal came after Jonathan Bornstein threw the ball in to Jozy Altidore on the right and El Hadary looked to have the forward s low cross safely gathered on the floor until Egypt defender Ahmed Fathi knocked it out of his hands.
El Hadary scrambled to recover just a meter (yard) off the goal line but was blocked by another teammate, Hani Said, to give Davies the chance to touch the ball from one foot to the other and lift it into the goal with his right – via a deflection off El Hadary s glove.
While Davies, who was in the team instead of DaMarcus Beasley, celebrated, El Hadary stayed on the ground for almost five minutes to receive treatment to a bloody head wound caused by Fathi s boot.
Donovan then almost scored what would likely have been the goal of the tournament, weaving past several players from inside his own half, only to have El Hadary get to the ball as he tried to knock it past him.
Chances came and went at both ends into the second half and the United States could have had a penalty when Said blocked Altidore s shot on the line with his thigh and had the ball bounce up onto his upper arm.
