Egypt lost not only hope of reaching the 2012 Africa Nations Cup but its coach as well, Ahmed Morsy reports n a disappointing Sunday night, seven-time African champions and title holders Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the 2012 Africa Nations Group G qualifying match at the Military Academy Stadium in Cairo. The day following the match, which in all likelihood ended any chance Egypt had of qualifying for next year's final, coach Hassan Shehata called it quits after a meeting between the tactician and Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president Samir Zaher. It is believed that Shehata anticipated his sacking and decided to pre-empt his employers with his resignation but the EFA posted a press release on its website in which it described the decision as a mutual agreement between Shehata and Zaher. The press release also said that Zaher thanked the 61-year- old Shehata for his hard work which brought Egypt an unprecedented three successive continental trophies and helped the Pharaohs break into the top 10 of FIFA's football rankings. Egypt's qualification chances have been virtually extinguished for the first time in 33 years. The draw left the Pharaohs with merely two points from four matches. They are three points off third-placed Sierra Leone, with two matches remaining. South Africa's eight points make Egypt's attempt to finish first in the group almost untenable and it's a mountain to climb for Egypt to catch one of only two best runners-up spots available. Without much at stake for the Egyptians, they will play two of their remaining matches against Sierra Leone in September in Freetown before hosting Niger in October. South Africa are scheduled to play Niger, placed second on six points, away in September and host Sierra Leone in October. Earlier this week, Sierra Leone had beaten Niger 1-0 to give Egypt hope of reaching the ANC but it rejected the gift. During the game, Shehata gifted Enppi striker Ahmed Abdel-Zaher a rare start in a two-man frontline alongside Mohamed Zidan, who was kept quiet by the South African defence, with Shikabala playing behind the duo. The Egyptians applied early pressure as Bafana struggled to hang onto the ball. Egypt then struggled against their much organised visitors and were fortunate not to concede before the break, thanks to the heroics of veteran goalie Essam El-Hadari. In the 28th minute, the visitors managed their first notable attempt from a set piece when Siyabonga Sangweni's close- range header was saved by El-Hadari. Despite South Africa's supremacy in terms of clear-cut scoring opportunities, Egypt ended the first half with their first sight on goal when right-winger Ahmed El-Mohamadi's close-range effort forced a great save from Itumeleng Khune on the stroke of half time. Eleven minutes after the break, Borussia Dortmund's striker Zidan made way for Ahli's Mohamed Nagi 'Geddo' in order to reinforce the Egyptian attack. On the hour mark, Bafana keeper Khune pulled off a spectacular diving save to deny Pharaohs midfielder Ahmed Fathi's rocketing effort from 18 yards. Bafana responded instantly as Katlego Mphela was sent clear on goal, rounded El-Hadari and looked set to hit the empty target, only for Zamalek's defender Mahmoud Fathallah to intervene with a crucial last-man saving tackle. The 65th minute witnessed Shehata's second substitution with Ahmed Ali replacing Shikabala. Title holders Egypt regained their grip on the clash heading into the final half hour with waves of attack. In addition, Khune was the notable player of the match for Bafana as he reeled off a number of fine saves and was instrumental in keeping his team level in a difficult fixture. Egypt had a penalty petition turned down near the end when an opposition defender seemed to have pushed Abdel-Zaher inside Bafana's area but the referee was not convinced. "Egypt's performance was very poor," sports critic Hassan El-Mestkawi, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "South Africa was superior throughout the game and they deserved a positive result," El-Mestkawi admitted. "The Egyptian team needed a change, fresh-blood players, starting from the 2008 ANC championship. The team's dilemma is not the result of one or two players but because of the whole squad. "They were under stress due to their ranking in the group and this also played a role in their below-par show," the famous columnist added. "In the coming period, regardless of the two remaining games, the national team have no commitments. Hence, it's time to build a new mighty team which will be able to qualify for the 2014 World Cup." Egypt's captain Ahmed Hassan, who was kept as a substitute, said that pressure was the reason behind Egypt's disappointing draw against South Africa. "It was obvious that the players were nervous and this had a direct impact on the performance," Hassan, who played no part in the match, said. "They felt under enormous pressure because victory was our only option, but I am sure that there was no carelessness." Egypt defender Hossam Ghali believes that fans were unfair to the national team following their unprecedented failure. "We are the national team, not the National Democratic Party!" the Ahli captain told reporters on Monday. "People lift us to the sky when we win, but when we lose, we're considered traitors." Abdelhak Benchikha, who replaced Rabah Saadane last September, has quit as the coach of Algeria after less than one year in charge, following a thumping 4-0 defeat in Morocco on Saturday. The defeat left the 2010 World Cup finalists bottom of their ANC 2012 qualifying Group D with four points from as many games. Elsewhere, Cameroon also have problems after they were held 0-0 at home by Senegal, leaving them in danger of missing the next year's ANC. The draw kept Senegal clear at the top of Group E with 10 points, followed by Cameroon [five] and Congo DR [four], while Mauritius are pointless.
