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Al-Ahram Weekly

Knowing but not doing - Sports - Al-Ahram Weekly

Knowing victory would have sealed qualification was not good enough for Egypt Hosts Egypt could muster only a goalless draw against Zambia in their third Group A match at the TotalEnergies Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday night. Victory would have ensured that Egypt progress to the knockout stage but that stage, should Egypt get there, will have to wait until the verdict comes out when Egypt next face Tanzania in their final group match tomorrow (Friday 9 May). Egypt entered the match against Zambia having beaten South Africa 1-0, then were mauled by Sierra Leone 4-1 in their previous Group A encounter. According to cafonline, Egypt came closest to breaking the deadlock against Zambia in the Egyptian city of Ismailia in the 67th minute when Ahmed Kabaka rattled the crossbar with a fierce shot from range. Moments later, Mohamed Zaalouk fired just wide from close range. Zambia, for their part, carved out chances of their own. David Simukonda and Joseph Sabobo were particularly threatening, with Simukonda skying a golden opportunity in stoppage time after being played through on goal. In the first half Mohamed Abdullah of Egypt tested Zambia keeper Leevison Banda with a well-struck effort in the 11th minute. Joseph Sabobo responded for Zambia, dragging a shot just wide midway through the opening period. Egypt, added cafonline, introduced fresh legs in the second half in a bid to find the breakthrough. But Zambia remained organised and resolute at the back, with Charles Buyoya and Happy Nsiku standing tall under mounting pressure. Saturday's draw against Zambia leaves Egypt second in the group with four points after three games, while Sierra Leone top the standings with seven points, also after three matches. South Africa sit third with three points from two games. Zambia, who have played twice, remain in fourth with two points from two goalless draws. Tanzania languish at the bottom without a point after two games. It should be noted that there is more than one peculiarity in the tournament's set-up. It is comprised of 13 teams, with the odd number literally being odd. Group A is composed of five teams while groups B and C have only four teams each. Not only is that format strange as well, but it gives the groups certain advantages and disadvantages. The extra game that Group A teams have gives a country like Egypt, which was humiliated by Sierra Leone, a better chance at recovery. It is an extra opportunity that the four-team groups do not enjoy. On the other hand, however, in the group stage, the teams in Group A must play an extra game which leads to more wear and tear than the other group teams that need play only three games each. Already, as of writing, Egypt have played three games in the group stage while countries like Group C's Senegal, the defending champions, have played only once. The top two teams in each group will make it to the round of eight, plus the next best two teams who finish third. Because of more points accumulated, the third team in Group A is almost a shoo-in to reach the last eight. The 4-1 defeat to Sierra Leone was Egypt's heaviest loss against a tournament debutant. Egypt were ahead 1-0 at the half, Ahmed Khaled opening the scoring for the young Pharaohs in first-half stoppage time, but that was followed by a Sierra Leone blitz which began with a seemingly innocuous shot - low, not particularly strong and in the middle of the goal - that was horrendously botched by the keeper Ahmed Abdine. Momoh Kamara netted a hat-trick in all and Sallieu Bah added a penalty to seal a memorable comeback for Sierra Leone. This is the second consecutive tournament in which Egypt, as hosts, have conceded four goals in a match. In 2023, they lost 4-0 to Senegal in their final group game. The defeat, coming on home turf, was so stunning that Egypt's coach Osama Nabih was forced to apologise. 'The result is harsh and disappointing, and we apologise for it,' Nabih said. 'We definitely managed to reach Sierra Leone's goal many times — we had four shots, and they only had one, which was a penalty kick. 'The players are young and haven't faced this kind of pressure before, especially since we exerted great effort against South Africa. Sometimes football punishes you. 'We will prepare for the next match against Zambia and aim to make up for this result.' That didn't happen. Egypt have now won just one of their last eight group-stage matches at the U-20 African finals, with that lone win coming against South Africa in their opener. Across three tournaments as hosts, Egypt have recorded just one win in seven group games which again came against South Africa in the current finals. * A version of this article appears in print in the 8 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link: