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One step closer
Cairo, May 7, 2001
With the Egyptian national team's 1-0 victory over Senegal last night, soccer fans were able to retain just a glimmer of hope that the team would make it to next year's World Cup. The national team has had a rough series of qualifying matches, and with just a few more to go, it's a matter of having to win big, against group leader Morocco at the end of June, in order to make it.
Morocco (3-0-3) is first in the group with 12 points, three ahead of Senegal (2-1-3) and Egypt (2-0-3).
Egypt's victory over Senegal came courtesy of a header goal by Ahmed Hossam in the 48th minute. Fans watching the game at home and work, in coffeehouses, and at Cairo stadium all breathed a sigh of relief as the goal was scored, but found themselves shouting angrily as nearly half a dozen other missed opportunities passed the team by.
 One tense moment came when defender Ahmed Hassan managed to deflect a Senegalese shot that went past goalkeeper Nader El-Sayed and looked set to enter the net.
After the match, the streets came alive with raucous celebrations, as drivers of cars, trucks and buses honked their horns in a victory march deep into the night. Teenagers bearing Egyptian flags, some with their faces painted the national colors, stopped traffic with their festivities, urging motorists to make some noise.
Egypt will be playing Morocco on June 30th in a decisive contest that will help determine who from the group will advance to the star-studded tournament set to take place next year in Korea and Japan. It will be a tough match, set to take place in Casablanca against the current group leaders, who soundly defeated Algeria in Algiers earlier this week. Only by winning with a wide goal margin, and hoping Senegal either ties, loses, or wins by a lesser goal margin, will Egypt have any chance of coming out on top.
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