Egypt produced a fine display to hold Portugal (©UEFA)Egyptian endeavour defies Portugal
Sunday, 6 February 2005
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PrintBy Türker Tozar at Ödemis stadium
Egypt became the first African side to earn their continent a point at the 2005 UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup as, despite ending the match with ten men following the late dismissal of Abdallah Farouk Abd El-Rehim, a battling display against Portugal earned a goalless draw.
Stout defending
Both sides had chances in Odemis, but neither were able to break the deadlock in an even but entertaining enounter. Portuguese midfield player João Pinhal twice came close to scoring a winner that would have been hard on Egypt in the final ten minutes, but the African team's defence held firm to preserve their point.
Narrow defeat
Having seen his side edged out 3-2 by tournament hosts on Friday, Egypt coach Ismail Youssef opted to make only one change to his team from that game, fielding Ayman Mohamad Farahat in place of Mohamed Abd-El Abouel-Fath in midfield. Portugal coach Carlos Dinis, meanwhile, rested striking pair António Ferreira and Julien da Silva and introduced Hernâni Pereira and Bruno Santos to the team that had overcome Nigeria 1-0 in their first game.
Hernâni header
Portugal therefore lined up in at attacking-looking 3-4-3 formation, and indeed it was Dinis' side who looked the more threatening in the first half, with FC Porto midfield player Bruno Gama particularly influential and Rui Gomes a constant menace up front. For all their possession, however, Portugal struggled to break down a disciplined Egyptian defence, with Hernâni's 26th-minute header the closest they came.
Counterattack danger
Both teams looked unlikely to concede a goal, although Egypt offered an occasional threat on the counterattack. Youssef's side came close to breaking through early in each half, with captain Sherif Ashraf Okily – who had found the net against Turkey – striking the post with a tenth-minute effort, while Ahmed Mostafa Taha's left-foot shot went just wide shortly before the hour.
Ali heroics
João Pinhal might have won the match twice in the last ten minutes, but was denied by Ahmed Adel Ali. The Egyptian goalkeeper pushed away the FC Porto midfield player's fine lob ten minutes from time, and then turned away a shot that looked destined for the corner of the net.
Second caution
Egypt were reduced to ten men with five minutes left to play, when midfield player Abd El-Rehim was sent off for his second bookable offence. Despite the numerical disadvantage, however, they held out and will therefore go into their next match against Spain, who have scored seven goals without conceding in winning their two matches so far, with increased confidence. In contrast, on Tuesday Portugal come up against a Cameroon side who have lost both games to date, conceding eleven goals in the process.
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