CAIRO - Egypt's U-23 Olympic national team has finished its preparations for the match against Senegal at 4:30pm (Cairo Local Time) Saturday in the U-23 African Cup of Nations (ACN), the third-place play-off. Hani Ramzi, the technical coach of the Young Pharaohs, is optimistic that his team can do something good for the country and qualify directly by winning the Senegal match in the eight-team tournament. "This is our last chance to qualify directly for the 2012 London Olympic Games," Ramzi said before Saturday's game. Egypt missed the chance of qualifying automatically for the 2012 Olympics when losing to Morocco 3-2 in the U-23 ACN semi-finals last Wednesday. “Morocco's win deprived us of advancing straight to the ACN final. We were so close to the dream of qualifying, but we still have one chance left," explained Ramzi. The tournament, the first edition of the U-23 ACN, serves as qualifier for the 2012 London Olympic Games. The winner, runner-up, and third-place team will qualify directly. The young Pharaohs have actually two options left: to beat Senegal Saturday and qualify directly, or wait until April to face an Asian team in a two-leg tie. "I have full confidence in the players," Ramzi said, admitting that the defeat was based on the fact that some players made mistakes. Ramzi acknowledged that the players made Saturday's game difficult for themselves, due to lack of co-ordination in the Morocco game. "We lacked coordination in the first ten minutes, particularly midfield, which gave our opponent many opportunities to score,” he explained. "Passing the ball was below par and the players didn't keep to their positions," he said, stressing he would do his best to fix these problems before Saturday's game. "The performance was not on the level, but the team will remedy these mistakes in the Senegal match," he added, explaining that the team had only started playing properly after the first ten minutes. "This was enough to lose the game," he explained. The first half ended with 2-1 for the Moroccan team. Ramzi continued: "During the break I asked the players to focus on their defense, so the Moroccan team would not score a third goal. Yet this is exactly what happened, which makes our task much more difficult." "The way we fought back gives me the hope that we will win against Senegal. Our boys are terribly keen to go to London next year, and the play-off will resemble a final," the official FIFA.com website quoted Ramzi as saying. The coaching staff of the Young Pharaohs denied that defender Ahmed Hegazi played with an injury, stressing that they would not allow an injured player to participate. “We are ready for this crucial game and know what a big challenge it will be,” stressed Ramzi. Egypt's goalkeeper coach, Fekkri Saleh, said that goalkeeper Ahmed el-Shenawi had also not been at his best, due the sudden goal Morocco scored in the first ten minutes. "But Shenawi is a good and promising goalkeeper." It's worth remembering that the 2011 candidates' list for the best young player award on the African continent includes Egypt's goalkeeper Ahmed el-Shenawi. The winners of the CAF awards will be announced in Ghana on December 22. "Today's game is a make-or-break for us," explained Saleh, adding that he had full confidence in the players to qualify directly for the 2012 Olympic Games. Senegal coach Abdoulaye Sarr, meanwhile, felt his team had been "mugged" when they conceded the only goal in a drab game against Gabon in the final minute of extra time. Saturday's schedule: 4:30pm Egypt v Senegal 7:30pm Morocco v Gabon
