Submitted by basem — Fri, 03/12/2010 - 07:19
For 45 minutes, Egypt dominated, taking a deserved lead through the excellent Mohamed Zidan against an initially confused, lacklustre England. The progeny of Rameses threatened to embarrass the inheritors of Ramsey’s tradition until Fabio Capello’s interval oratory and substitutions shook England up. In truth, few of Capello’s stars shone early on. Unlike Egypt. The visitors always exuded confidence in their 3-5-2 system, always looked a threat when they broke at speed, particularly when the ball was in the clever sway of the electric Zidane.
Read More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/england/7...
Absence of Egypt will be a Pharaoh disappointment
If we learned one thing at Wembley last night, it is that it is a sorry thing for football that Egypt have not qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Slick, positive and combative, the triple Africa Cup of Nations champions are exactly the sort of team who get us excited at the World Cup. Egypt, though, bring genuine excitement not just because of their spirit or the boisterous nature of their fans but because they are a genuinely top class team. Their passing frequently cut England open at Wembley; only tight marking and alert defending from John Terry, Matthew Upson and holding midfielder Gareth Barry kept them at bay. In Mohamed Zidan they have a ruthless striker; how assuredly he finished in the first half, producing an authoritative shot that Robert Green could not reasonably have been expected to save. Perhaps Egypt’s quality comes from their collective experience. Last night’s starting XI had, between them, 793 caps, with no player having fewer than 34. Yet they are not an old team. Yes, Ahmed Hassan is nearly 35 and last night’s international was his 174th for Egypt, but many key players will still be around come the 2014 qualifiers. They have the air of a club side; cohesive, fluid and self-assured.
Read More:
http://www.footballingworld.com/2010/03/04/absence-of-egypt-will-be-a-ph...