Egypt were hugely disappointed after missing out on a World Cup berth but got over their agony after less than three months upon claiming the African Cup of Nations title. The Pharaohs' World Cup dream vanished when they lost 1-0 to Algeria in November's infamous decider, which was followed by even more frustrating incidents. Further to the Egyptians' dejection at the time, a host of Algerian hooligans assaulted the African champions' fans in Sudan where the playoff game took place. But these unpleasant memories are all forgotten now. Egypt walloped Algeria 4-0 in the CAN semi-finals to avenge their painful World Cup exit. The world press said the match saw a myriad of overly violent challenges and misconducts from the Algerian players, whereas Hassan Shehata's men were true sportsmen. The Algeria drubbing and media praise have lessened the Egyptians' fury, but they completely overcame their WC disqualification after sinking Ghana 1-0 in the final to win a record-breaking third successive CAN title, seventh overall.
Zidan (L) and Geddo Best Team "Our performances and results in the Nations Cup leave no doubt that we are the continent's best team," Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan, who scooped the competition's best player award, stated. "When we failed to qualify for the World Cup, I felt that we were destined for a bigger achievement." Mohamed Nagi 'Geddo', who scored the winner in the final and was named the tournament's top scorer with a five-goal tally, echoed the sentiments of Ahli star Hassan. "Winning the competition compensated for our World Cup disqualification," he told Al-Jazeera TV. Ittihad ace Geddo also won the Discovery Player of the Tournament award while more personal accolades were claimed by some of his teammates. The CAN Fair Play and Best Goalkeeper were awarded to midfielder Ahmed Fathi and goalie Essam Al-Hadari respectively.
In the Past Prolific forward Mohamed Zidan admitted that he was eager to play at the World Cup, but he's no longer upset. "I was looking forward to playing at this World Cup in South Africa," he told FIFA's official website. "But I don't have to talk about that forever. It's in the past now, and we would rather focus on the future." Former Egypt star Hazem Emam is convinced that a CAN triumph can't be compared with a dull World Cup campaign. "Claiming the Nations Cup is way better than qualifying for the World Cup and get ousted from the group stage," he said. Algeria, the only representatives of the Arab World in the quadrennial competition, have been drawn in Group C alongside England, USA and Slovenia. The Deset Foxes most probably won't go past the first round, many pundits believe.
