Egyptian footballers continue to train aboard as they prepare for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Ahmed Morsy reports Seven-time African champions Egypt kicked off their training camp in the UAE with a 3-2 victory over Nigeria last week Thursday, then smashed Mauritania 3-0 on Sunday. The one- week training camp in the Gulf state comes as part of the national teams' preparations for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and 2014 World Cup qualifiers. In the UAE camp, being staged abroad following the cancellation of the domestic league season for security reasons related to last year's revolution, US coach Bob Bradley tried to cut his squad down to 22 players after featuring 60 players in previous friendlies. In addition, the American decided to try all the team's goalkeepers, selecting Zamalek's Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed against Nigeria and Ahli's Sherif Ekrami against Mauritania. Ittihad's Essam El-Hadari will take part in a third friendly against Iraq scheduled to have been played on Tuesday. Against Nigeria, the Pharaohs claimed a narrow victory thanks to an injury-time winner from Ahmed Hassan Mekki to give Egypt a 3-2 win over Nigeria's locally-based side in Dubai. Following a stunning beginning by the star-less Nigeria side, in the 13th minute Sunday Mba broke the deadlock to give the Super Eagles an early lead. Uche Kalu dribbled along the right flank, playing a back pass to Mba whose deflected shot wrong-footed keeper El-Sayed to put his side ahead. Twelve minutes later, Dakheliya's striker Ahmed Temsah equalised after controlling Hossam Ghali's long ball inside the area to lob the keeper. In the 33rd minute, Egypt had its first lead when Ahli's master playmaker Mohamed Abu Treika converted a penalty kick after left-winger Mohamed Abdel-Shafi was fouled in the area. However, three minutes before the interval, Kalu hit the trembling Pharaohs' defence, sliding in the equaliser from close range. During the break, Bradley made a host of changes to boost the attacking force of his side. Nevertheless, the former African champions struggled to live up to their reputation against a lively and motivated Nigerian side. In the game's final seconds, thanks to the experience of skipper Ahmed Hassan, Abu Treika, Ahmed El-Mohamadi and Emad Meteb, who controlled the match and put on the pressure, Egypt clinched the winner. A rapid and short exchange of passes on the edge of the area between Meteb, El-Mohamadi and Mekki left Mekki clear for a left-foot shot that went through the bottom right side of the keeper. As for the second successive win in their ongoing training camp in the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed Nagi 'Gedo' scored twice as Egypt defeated unfancied Mauritania 3-0. During the game, Bradley fielded an offensive line-up that featured two strikers, Emad Meteb and Gedo, and three attacking midfielders in Walid Suleiman, Ahmed Hassan and Ashour El-Taqui. As a result, from the very beginning Egypt laid siege to Mauritania's penalty area, launching a wave of attacks that brought about a 25th-minute opener. Gedo towered unmarked and headed home after being provided by a right-footed cross from Enppi's left-back Mohamed Nassef. Gedo doubled the lead five minutes later when Mauritania keeper Souleymane Diallo fumbled a cross into his path for an easy tap-in into an empty net. Six minutes before the break, Meteb scored the third goal after converting a penalty kick thanks to Gedo who went down after a harsh challenge from a Mauritania defender. Egypt's goalkeepers' tactician Zaki Abdel-Fattah had much to be happy over after Sunday's friendly 3-0 victory over Mauritania. "Even with a strong win against Mauritania, they are keeping focused. Bradley will work hard to avoid the mistakes players made during Mauritania's friendly," said Abdel-Fattah. On the other hand, a company will sponsor Egypt's national team in another training camp in Turkey after they end the current camp in the Emirates, the Pharaohs assistant coach Diaa El-Sayed revealed. El-Sayed asked the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to decide what to do about hosting the upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifiers game against Mozambique in June. "We asked the football association to inform us if the Interior Ministry will secure the World Cup qualifier in Egypt," El-Sayed told a television programme. "The security situation should be determined as soon as possible. If we play the game in Egypt, we can't play behind closed doors," he added. Meanwhile, EFA is still awaiting approval from the authorities to hold a World Cup qualifier between Egypt and Mozambique in Alexandria, according to the state-run news agency MENA. The Pharaohs are due to host Mozambique on 1 June in their opening Group G game of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. World football's governing body FIFA ordered Egypt to play their first two home qualifiers at least 100kms outside Cairo following the crowd trouble which marred the build-up to their 2009 game against North African rivals Algeria. Bradley chose the Egyptian Army Stadium in Borg Al-Arab in Alexandria to host the match but security authorities are yet to give the national team the go-ahead to play at the 86,000-seat venue, MENA reported. The EFA would have to get approval of the Interior Ministry ahead of the match. The Interior Ministry has been reluctant to provide security at several competitive games in Egypt since the Port Said disaster.
