Despite the draw with Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt remains optimistic, Abeer Anwar reprots In the last minute, the Egyptian Olympic football team drew 1-1 with Ivory Coast at home in the first round of qualifiers for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Though the same team came out on top of a friendly seven-nation tournament in Qatar just a week earlier, against the Ivory Coast, Egypt could only manage a lone goal which came in the dying minutes. As a result, the young pharaohs must win their second-leg match in Abidjan later this month or draw with a score above 0-0 to have any hopes of reaching the group stage of the qualifiers. The next stage qualifiers are composed of 12 teams divided into three groups. Three African teams are allotted places in the Olympics. Sekou Cisse put the Elephants ahead in the first half. In the 22nd minute, Cisse latched on to a through pass before easily rounding the keeper and slotting into the empty net. Egypt squandered a host of chances thereafter. In the 61st minute, Ismaili midfielder Abdullah El-Said curled a superb free-kick that cannoned off the bar. In the 90th minute, El-Said sidestepped a defender on the left flank before providing a pinpoint cross to Enppi striker Ahmed El-Muhammadi who headed the ball home. Egypt's last appearance in Olympic football was in Barcelona in 1992. In more promising football news, Zamalek beat Vital'O 1-0 of Burundi to advance to round 32 of the African Champions League. Zamalek won the first leg in Cairo 4-1. Saturday's result made it 5-1 on aggregate for the five-time African champions from Egypt. The game's sole goal was scored by Hazem Emam in the 20th minute. Zamalek's win was sweet not only because it was recorded away but came despite the sentencing of the club's two Tunisian players, each of whom were given a six-month jail term for beating up an Egyptian policeman. Wissem Al-Abdi and Tunisian Yamen Ben Zekri were found guilty in a Cairo court after a brawl over a parking place outside a hotel in Cairo last month. A Zamalek spokesman said the players were appealing against the verdict and were out on bail. Ben Zekri joined Zamalek last year from Club Africain while Wissem only signed a few weeks ago from CS Sfaxien. The duo are the latest footballers in Egypt to be involved in cases of assaulting policemen. Another Zamalek player, Amr Zaki, is facing similar charges for an incident that took place six months ago, while Egypt and Ahli's Emad Meteb was recently found not guilty of the same accusations. In other Champions League results, former champions Esperance of Tunisia also cruised into the second round after beating Renaissance of Chad 2-1 in N'Djamena. JS Kayblie overcame Balantas of Guinea Bissau 2-1 in Bissau. Wydad Casablanca of Morocco lost 2-1 to Mauritel of Mauritania in Nouakchott but established a 4-0 lead at home in a competition carrying a first prize of $1 million. Hilal of Sudan, APR of Rwanda, AS Douanes of Senegal, Zanaco of Zambia and Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon also secured places in the second round. Hilal, runners-up in 1987 and 1992, completed a double over Polisi of Zanzibar by winning 2-0 on the east African island after developing a 4-0 lead in Omdurman. Hilal will meet Zamalek in the next round. Military club APR defeated St Eloi Lupopo of the DR Congo 2-0 in Kigali for a 4-1 aggregate triumph. AS Douanes of Senegal overcame Stade Malien of Mali 2-0 in Dakar while Cotonsport Garoua forced a 0-0 draw with Revenue Authority of Uganda in Kampala. Reigning champions Ahli of Egypt are to meet Highlanders of Zimbabwe in round 32.
