CAIRO: Angola coach Manuel Jose put Egypt s disqualification from the World Cup down to the exhibition game they played against Oman, before losing at Algeria in the gigantic competition qualifiers. The Pharaohs beat Oman 1-0 in a friendly match on May 30, before traveling to Algeria where they were slapped 3-1 by the hosts in the World Cup qualifying stage. Jose, who led Cairo giants Ahly to numerous triumphs on all fronts over the past few years, cited exhaustion as a reason for the African champions defeat to the Desert Foxes. In my opinion, Egypt are much better than Algeria, but they made a big mistake by taking on Oman before their away qualifier, the Portuguese tactician told Emirati magazine Super. They gained a lot of money, but the players got exhausted which resulted in their loss to Algeria and thence things got complicated. I said at the time more than once that Egypt s players need to rest, but no one listened. Jose is convinced that Egypt s World Cup disappointment doesn t necessarily mean they have no tangible chance to claim the African Cup of Nations (CAN) for a third successive time. Egypt s failure in the World Cup qualifiers has nothing to do with CAN, they are still favorites, the veteran boss added. After a turbulent run in the qualifying stage, Egypt became equal on points, goal scored, goal difference and head-to-head record with Algeria, which prompted a decider between both teams. The game, which Algeria won 1-0, was followed by severe clashes, as some Algerian hooligans reportedly chased Egyptian fans in the streets of Sudan. Jose referred to the "exceptional circumstances that caused the infamous post-match dramatic incidents. The competition between both sides has always been fierce, and it reached its climax in the playoff game, he commented. Egypt haven t played in the World Cup since 1990, Algeria since 1986, and 90 minutes were the most decisive by the end of the road. The exceptional circumstances of the game led to this kind of misconduct. Egyptian fans are emotional and friendly. But football sometimes causes this kind of behavior.
