Egypt's FIFA Confederations Cup adventure was full of surprises, some were pleasant and others were revolting. Ahead of the quadrennial competition, the majority of sport pundits felt certain that the Pharaohs didn't have even a minimal chance of going past the group stage. Indeed the African champions failed to qualify for the semi-finals, all the same, none of the pre-tournament speculations were close to how things went in Group B. A couple of incredible performances followed by a sudden dip in form have stirred controversy over Egypt's campaign, and so have some sensational off-field incidents and tabloids' allegations. Head coach Hassan Shehata also made several tactical decisions which no one had expected. Zaki Omission The omission of Amr Zaki from Egypt's squad was the first big surprise from Shehata. He decided to exclude the robust striker only several days before the Confederations Cup got underway, despite his limited frontline options. What was even more staggering is that Shehata replaced Zaki with Ismaili's Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha, who only have little experience on the international stage. It was claimed at the time that Shehata fell out with Zaki, and thus deprived him of the international duty. The former Zamalek star, however, rubbished the rumor and assured that the Zak was eliminated due to injury. Memorable Display It was widely believed Egypt would get a severe drubbing at the hands of Brazil in their opening game, but Shehata's men raised some eyebrows in a mouth-watering clash. Egypt scored three goals, and the imposing Selecao struggled to register a 4-3 win. It was definitely a one-off match for the Egyptians. Mohamed Zidan, Mohamed Abou-Treika and many more of the Egyptian players were at their best. Their free-flowing football made them match the Samba Dancers' entertaining playing style. Zidan, who was magnificent as a lone striker, hit a brace while Mohamed Shawky scored once. The match could have ended in a draw if it wasn't for Kaka's late penalty-kick. It was a memorable display that gave Egypt a huge morale boost and somewhat revived their World Cup qualification hopes after their infamous 3-1 loss to Algeria. Historic Win
Shehata In their next match, Egypt have arguably recorded their greatest victory ever by beating world champions Italy 1-0. Another riveting performance from the six-time continental champions saw them outclass the Azzurri, who were striving in vain for a draw. What was totally unexpected, apart from the historic win, was that Mohamed Hommos headed the precious winner, his first-ever goal with the national team. The Ismaili skipper was given a rare starting berth at the expense of skipper Ahmed Hassan, and he repaid Shehata's faith by embarrassing Italy custodian Gianluigi Buffon. Egypt's win over Marcello Lippi's team was another proof that the Egyptians have what it takes to compete with the World heavyweights. With their last game against the US regarded as a doddle, Egypt's Confederations Cup qualification prospects seemed to be very bright. But the finale of the group stage witnessed the unthinkable. Alleged Scandal The victory over the Italians was slightly marred when the Egyptian players got back to their hotel to find that some of their rooms were burgled. The next day, Egypt captain Hassan reported the theft of some wallets from his teammates' hotel rooms. But Later on, local newspapers reported that the Egyptians spent the night with light-fingered hookers at the hotel, suggesting that they have stolen the players' personal possessions before leaving. The Egyptian contingent's officials didn't respond to the accusation right away, and meanwhile the Egyptian media turned the spotlight on the alleged sex scandal. Huge Disappointment Egypt's last surprise came in the form of a huge disappointment. They put in a horrendous display and succumbed to a 3-0 loss to USA, who reached the semis on goal difference. The same very players who impressed against Brazil and Italy were completely off-form against the Americans for no apparent reason. The unjustified drastic loss of form was seen by some Egyptian media men as unequivocal evidence of the womanizing claims. Amr Adib, who presents renowned talk show Al-Qahera Al-Youm in Orbit TV, branded Egypt players as 'unclean men', following their humiliating defeat. One day later, the controversial presenter apologized for what he said. Likewise, head of organizing committee Danny Jordaan made an apology on behalf of the South African media, after Egypt's contingent head Mahmoud Taher threatened to sue some papers for libel.
