Egypt conceded its first ever defeat against Qatar 2-1 in a friendly in Doha Thursday night. Sebastian Soria and Wael Gomaa scored for the hosts while Walid Soliman scored the Pharaohs' consolation goal. The result was Egypt's a first defeat in their seven-match record as they had previously won four games and been held level twice. The Egyptian side had its first chance on goal as Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malek sparkled on the left flank and passed the ball to Mohamed Abou-Treika who swerved it directly to the goal only to be denied by keeper Qasem Burhan. The African champions extended their domination on the game and were able to force Bruno Metsu's men onto the defensive. In the 21st minute Mohamed Al-Sayed made an excellent effort on the left flank to break through the offside trap and set up Uruguayan-born striker Sebastian Soria to score the opening goal. The Pharaohs had a chance to react when Ahmed Fathi volleyed from inside the box, but it went wide. The running became worse when defender Wael Gomaa added the second in his own net as his back pass wasn't expected by keeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead at the break. On return, the Egyptians seemed more determined to bounce back in the game.Coach Hassan Shehata switched tactics from a 3-4-3 to a more offensive strategy 4-3-3 in order to put more pressure on Qatar's defence. Abou-Treika should have scored early in this half when he received the ball comfortably, but his shot was superbly blocked by the Qatari keeper. Both coaches brought in many players in an attempt to achieve a win. Shehata kept on attacking while Metsu built up his defence. Substitute Walid Soliman was finally able to pull one back in the 74thminute after being brilliantly set up by Eid Abdel-Malek to glance the ball past Burhan. The Pharaohs seemed on the right track to get the equaliser and maybe the winner as they clearly had the upper hand.But the game was sorely marred when players from both sides were involved in an argument that ended with Fathi and Qatari Brazilian-born midfielder Fabio Cesar expelled in the 83rdminute. The remaining minutes were filled with tension, though neither of the teams was able to make a breakthrough, the game ending with a historic victory for the Gulf state.
