Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib does not believe that Sunday's 1-1 draw with Zambia will dent the team's hopes of reaching the 2010 World Cup finals. The Pharaohs were held by Zambia at Cairo Stadium in their Group C opener of the qualifiers' final phase. Amr Zaki put Egypt ahead on 27 minutes but a Francis Kasonde header 12 minutes after the restart prevented the hosts from claiming all three points. "There is a long way to go," Gharib, who usually speaks to media instead of head coach Hassan Shehata, told the post-match press conference. "Our draw against Zambia doesn't mean that we will not qualify for the World Cup. Our confidence should not drop." All teams are now tied on one point after Algeria played out a goalless draw with Rwanda on Saturday. The five group winners qualify for the gigantic event that will take place in South Africa next year. "Algeria also drew so we shouldn't be that worried. Yes we were held at home but in modern football it doesn't matter, away and home ties are the same." Gharib also rued Egypt's wasted chances throughout the match. "We had many chances to kill off the game but we failed to make the most of them." "Anyway, Zambia played well and successfully closed down spaces in midfield although they did not create clear-cut chances."
