CAIRO: When Algeria's goalkeeper couldn't stop the ball from getting past and into the back of the net, a few cheers erupted in a local Egyptian cafe. Slovenia 1, Algeria 0. The final score left at least some Egyptians happy that the team that had forced Egypt home for the World Cup had lost. Counter to Al Jazeera and a number of news outlets saying Egyptians and Arabs were looking to Algeria as the great Arab hope in South Africa, some Egyptians thought otherwise. Omar Zaky, an avid football fan who remembers the last time Egypt was in the World Cup finals, clapped as the Slovenian players darted around the pitch celebrating their opening round victory over the Arab world's only representative in South Africa. “We are very pleased, at least my group of friends,” he began. “Algeria is a very dirty team and they don't play fair and after last fall's clashes with Egyptians we are not going to support them. It doesn't matter if they are Arabs, we are not blindly supporting a country.” Algeria came into the tournament scoring only one goal in five warm-up matches, and that was against the United Arab Emirates. Sunday's match was little different, with the North Africans having very few opportunities on goal. They squandered a couple chances and ultimately, a goalkeeping gaffe left Slovenia with the three points and top of Group C. “I am simply happy and will be rooting for England and the USA in the next two matches. Algeria doesn't deserve to be cheered for,” Zaky added. Captain Robert Koren's 79th-minute goal was enough to give Slovenia a 1-0 victory over Algeria at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday morning. The win puts Slovenia at the top of the Group C standings, and the Slovenes will meet the United States at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Friday, June 18. “Slovenia enjoyed the lion's share of possession, but lacked the sharpness to break through a solid Algerian midfield and defense,” New York Times Duncan Irving wrote. Egyptians, who are avid football fans, were all eyes and ears as the match kicked off. But they were surprisingly not interested in rooting for their fellow Arab nation. “And why should we after all that happened. Algeria is not one of us. They are all born in France and are not truly Algerian,” said one fan on Monday morning when asked what his thoughts were on the match. He was referring to the fact that the majority of the Algerian team was born and raised in France, where a number of the players participated on French youth teams. Algeria plays England in what both teams have said is a must-win match. Slovenia plays the USA and a victory for the European side would push them into the second round. BM
