The Egyptian football team was defeated by its French counterpart during the semi-final at the onging Paris Olympic Games on Monday, dashing the hope of the football fans at home who were wishing for a historical breakthrough in the world's most popular sport.
African countries lost both men's football semi-finals. First, Morocco let a lead slip against Spain. Then, the host France took out Egypt in extra time. It was heartache for football fans in Cairo. What appeared to be a strong Egyptian grip over the match collapsed just eight minutes before the main-time ended, when the Pharaohs lost their 1-0 lead. France scored an equalizer that pushed the game into extra time. Egyptian fans were devastated when the team's top defender Omar Fayed got a red card, just a few minutes into the first extra time. The North African team no longer posed any threat to the hosts. France easily took the lead and then sealed its victory with a third goal. "For a moment I hoped for the gold medal. I see the players playing well together. With every match they play they become stronger. They have a very good coach who won gold medal before. I think they can win bronze and make Egypt proud," said Mohamed Shedeed, an Egyptian football fan. "Watching the first and second matches, no one thought we would reach this far in the competition. I am very sad because we could have won this match against France after we scored. Our focus shifted to defense," said Hamada Seyam, an Egyptian football coach. Egypt will be playing against Morocco for third place on Thursday. So the bronze medal is definitely African. But Egypt and Morocco will also be clashing for the honor of being the first Arab team to win an Olympic medal in football.
Egyptian football fans disillusioned by Olympic football semi-final defeat
