For the 3rd year in a row, the nation of Egypt has won the esteemed African Cup. Their 1-0 victory tonight over the very strong and respectable Ghana marked their 19th consecutive national team win in this tournament, a most difficult feat to accomplish.
As a longtime fan of futbol – or soccer if you prefer – I greatly enjoyed the action of the African Cup and was most fortunate to be able to enjoy it with other longtime fans from Egypt. I have rarely found people so enthralled and fervent just in watching a sport, much less playing it. In my experience, I find that many Americans dislike soccer because there isn’t enough scoring or enough “action.” However, there is much more to the game than that. The beauty of futbol, particularly on the international level, is watching a game that many grew up playing in the streets with one’s fellow countryman. It is a game that can be played anywhere with anyone, and as such functions as a sort of social adhesive. When we watched the game, everyone was on the same level, be they poor, rich, well-dressed, disheveled, or what have you. That group of 11 players who took to the field represented everyone in Egypt, play for both national pride and love of the game. Granted, there are also cons to excessive nationalism, but we’ll leave that for a more academic blog entry.
Me with Mahmoud Al Khatib, considered by many to be the best Egyptian futbol player, and one of the most renowned in the world. He just happened to be sitting in the restaurant while a group of AUC students was watching the Egypt vs Cameroon game!
The semifinal game against Algeria was particularly heated due to the rivalry these teams have had over the course of their history of matches. This match was a must win for Egypt not only to advance to the finals, but to win back their tarnished image and national pride after the fiasco in the World Cup qualifier in Khartoum. To find out more, read here.
Throughout the game, Egypt kept pressure on Algeria offensively. There were many hard challenges by Algeria, resulting in an unheard of 3 red cards in the game. Some might want to argue that, for political reasons, Egypt was “handed the game”. That would be easy for someone who only saw the final statistics to say. Anyone who watched the game and analyzed it honestly saw that Algeria was being very aggressive and that Egypt outplayed them. It escalated over the course of the game as it kept getting more and more out of reach for them. Granted, the penalty kick at the beginning was suspect, seeing as it is not allowed to stop in the middle of the run. That aside, the game proceeded more than fairly and Egypt proceeded to humiliate Algeria and reclaim (some) of their lost pride en route to the final game against Ghana to defend their title.
Highlights of the Egypt vs. Algeria match
Watching the African Cup final in the city of Rehab at “New Look Cafe”
The final game against Ghana was the most exciting to watch in my opinion, not just because it was the final, but because the teams were so evenly matched. The game against Algeria was a complete blowout. It was exciting to watch, no doubt, but the game against Ghana just made you want to hold your breath the whole time. The feeling experienced at this game and observed by was unlike anything I had ever experienced watching a futbol game. Following are the notes I took during the finals game, Egypt vs Ghana, to capture the feeling.
There is a distinct intensity in the air, and lungs tighten with every passing moment. Tense viewers sip their tea quietly in anticipation of every cleanly made pass and each well executed cross maneuver by an Egyptian player. Others chatter loudly as they smoke shisha, and still others sit and watch intently, preparing at any moment to cry out in joy or yell in anguish depending on which side scored the first strike. The momentum of the game shifts regularly, based on the succession of scoring opportunities by either team. Egypt, a team known for its prowess, finds difficulty penetrating Ghana’s rock solid defense. Both goalies are rock solid throughout, with many good looks goal-wise for both teams. With every goal opportunity and miss from Egypt, a collective outburst from the crowd arises. What few cars are on the streets honk in support of Egypt in a way that is distinguished from honking for traffic. Even among onlookers who appear stoic, rigid in their demeanor, they let out sighs of relief at Ghana’s near misses. In the 70th minute, the best opportunity by Egypt up to that point is swatted aside by the Ghanaian a goalkeeper and a man behind me screams as if in ecstasy, frustrated that Egypt was unable to capitalize, especially given how close it was to the end of regulation. Whichever team scored at the point was almost certain to be the victor. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as we watch anxiously at the “New Cafe” in the city of Rehab (pronounced Ray-haab). It could turn from silent (save the sounds of the game) to deafening in a moment. It comes to the 80th minute now. Gedo, the top goal scorer of the tournament (and a substitute at THAT!) has come into the game. The crowd chants his name, playing drums to the beat of a makeshift song in honor of his playing ability. As the 85th minute approaches, Gedo makes it through the midfield, reaches the penalty box, AND…
GOAL! It is the moment we’ve all been waiting for! The crowd erupts, cars start honking, everyone is celebrating. The victory is almost certain now, but 5 grueling minutes remain (plus injury time) before it is official, so it doesn’t get too out of hand. As the final whistle blows, everyone is hugging each other, giving high fives, and screaming Masr Masr Masr! (Egypt! Egypt! Egypt!) It was a great time all around, and everyone in the city partied all night long in celebration. It was truly something to behold and my favorite night in Cairo so far. This is just the beginning.
Celebration of Egypt’s African Cup victory in the city of Rehab
Nice! Did YOU smoke shisha?
I’ll answer your question with a question.
How could I not? B-)
I wanted to try a flavor not available in the states, so an Egyptian friend of mine named Ramadan suggested ‘mint tea with lemon’. Needless to say, it was official.
How incredible writing. I felt like I was there. More pictures please, I want to see how the cafe looked like inside. I love pictures!!