A Surprise:

“They are a really, really good team,” said England manager Fabio Capello about Hassan Shehata’s Egypt. Hossam Ghaly received a kinder reception at Wembley than he used to get from Spurs fans at White Hart Lane. Despite his comparative success in the English Premier League last season, Amr Zaki paid the price of failure by his omission from the record-breaking African Cup of Nations squad.

Zaki returned to English football from Zamalek for the remainder of the season to try to help Hull City avoid relegation. It was enough to earn him a place on Egypt’s bench. Meanwhile, erstwhile team-mate Mido also returned to England – taking a pay cut to join West Ham United, but it was not enough to earn a recall

Under-estimated:

For the first forty-five minutes there was no dispute that the Pharaohs were the better side on their first trip to Wembley Stadium and fully deserved their one-goal lead. John Terry was booed by some at the start, but they were a minority and before long the jeers had changed to cheers. Jermain Defoe failed to take advantage of his first start for his country in almost sixteen months. He was replaced at half time – a decision that changed the course of the match. Peter Crouch came on, bagged a brace, and the Man of the Match award, dominating the second half.

The seven times African champions have made the latest African Cup of Nations trophy their own with their third consecutive win in Angola, last January. Their energetic first half performance merited the fine goal that separated the sides. A searching diagonal pass from Hosny abd Rabou – one of the few members of Shehata’s squad to play outside Egypt – eluded Matthew Upson. It was well controlled in the area by Borussia Dortmund’s Mohamed Zidan and clinically dispatched past Robert Green – the England keeper had no chance.

Egypt searched for a second that did not come and England  threatened, even though the 3-5-2 formation that Shehata adopted ought to have suited Theo Walcott. The Arsenal winger did little to impress and fully deserved to be yanked off by Capello in the second half. Wayne Rooney took his excellent club form into this match and gave Defoe opportunities that the Spurs striker ought to have converted, but the Egyptian defence kept him under control.

The Pharaohs had the better of the first half, but Frank Lampard should have done better from close range. He shot into the turf and it bounced harmlessly over – nobody blamed the much-criticised pitch that has been relaid several times since the new stadium opened. Despite chances, England failed to seriously test veteran Egyptian goalkeeper Essam el-Hadary in the first half. Egypt’s midfield had outperformed England on home turf and impressed and surprised many observers. A surprise seemed possible, but Capello had other ideas.

Changes:

The Italian had harsh words to say at halftime and substitutions to make. Michael Carrick replaced Lampard and Defoe made way for Crouch. Egypt held out comfortably for ten minutes before a slick move began by stand-in captain Steven Gerrard – deputising for the unfit Rio Ferdinand after Capello relieved Terry of the captaincy – resulted in the equaliser. Gerrard released Gareth Barry on the right flank and his cross was deftly turned in by Crouch despite being slightly off-balance – Crouch’s height often denies him the respect he deserves for his touch and control.

England had far more balance and commitment – a tribute to Capello’s organisational and motivating skills. The removal of Walcott paid dividends rapidly. Shaun Wright-Phillips has not always convinced for England – some media have demanded that he never plays again after poor performances, but Capello appears to have found the secret to harness his talent. Where Walcott had been utterly ineffective, Wright-Phillips took advantage of Egyptian substitutions and the visitors tiring.

With fifteen minutes  remaining Wembley saw the best and worst of el-Hadary in the space of a few seconds. He produced a smart block to a shot by James Milner that took a slight deflection. It soon found its way to Wright-Phillips whose shot swerved a bit. The record-breaking keeper should have done far better.

England had the lead and soon extended it with a little assistance from the assistant referee five minutes later. Wright-Phillips’ cross found Crouch in space and the Spurs striker did what he had to. It was offside, but Egypt did not complain either then or in the press conference that followed. The Pharaohs began this match the top-ranked team in Africa and ended it a few places down, but still the best in Africa.

The African champions are the only confederation champions to fail to qualify for the World Cup and it will miss them. Hopefully their absence will result in changes in the manner that berths at the World Cup finals are allocated to the confederations. Egypt narrowly missed out on South Africa to bitter rivals Algeria. They avenged the insult by thrashing the Desert Foxes 4-0 in thee semi-final of the African Cup of Nations. Nevertheless, Brasil’s World Cup qualification process should include play-offs for at least some of the losers in African qualifiers.