Egypt learned from past mistakes to adopt their silky passing game and thrash Algeria 4-0 in the African Cup of Nations semi final on Thursday. The Pharaohs avenged their World Cup qualifying defeat to Algeria in style, outplaying and outclassing their North African rivals in a night to remember for Egyptians. They have secured the emphatic win when their trademark playing style came into effect. Two months ago, Egypt lost 1-0 to Algeria in Sudan after their useless long balls were repeatedly and easily cleared by opposing defenders throughout the game. In Benguela, Algeria defenders, who are known for their aerial prowess, were unable to deal with a wave of ground attacks from their opponents. Their frustration at being incapable of marking or stopping Egypt's mercurial players resulted in three suspensions as Algeria finished the game with eight men on the field. "Algeria were taught a footballing lesson by Egypt," former World Player of the Year and Liberian star George Weah said while giving his thoughts on the game for Al-Jazeera Sport. "Egypt dominated the whole game and deserved to win, thanks to their superb teamwork." Instead of whipping in high crosses, wingers Ahmed Al-Muhammadi and Sayed Moawad interacted in the short passing game which proved a constant menace to Algeria. One of Egypt's free-flowing moves saw Moawad, who usually goes to the byline to send a cross, break clear but his shot went wide of the post. "We won our games because of the strategies that we planned and used," Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib commented.
Fathi puts in impressive display "We also planned well on how to handle each adversary since the start of the competition." The six-time African champions could face difficulty replicating their silky passing game when they face Ghana in the Nations Cup final due to the poor state of November 11th Stadium's pitch. Midfield Battle Egypt also excelled in their midfield battle with Algeria, thanks to Ahmed Fathi's tireless and energetic moves. The versatile midfielder, who perfectly accomplishes defensive duties in any position, stole possession from Algeria players on numerous occasions and contributed to the build-up to attacking moves. The substitutions of coach Hassan Shehata, who will make history if he leads Egypt to an unprecedented third successive title, also proved key to the victory. Left-back Mohamed Abdul-Shafi, who replaced Moawad in the latter stages of the game, needed few moments to find the net and add Egypt's third goal. Mohamed Nagi 'Geddo', the top scorer so far, continued his superb displays off the bench to wrap up the win and notch his fourth goal of the tournament "Can anyone explain to me how Egypt do that with a squad which consists of home-based players?" Tunisia's former World Cup star Tarak Dhiab said. "Those home-based players overcame players who play for Barcelona and other leading European sides." Egypt now just need to beat Ghana in their final test to maintain their domination in Africa and reap the rewards of the catchy and effective football they play.
