Ask any Egyptian and they’ll tell you that the coming game against Ghana means much more than staying top of the World Cup Qualifying group. It means revenge for a horrible ending to the 2014 World Cup Qualifying.
However, there is more behind Egypt vs Ghana than just the 6-1 disaster; here’s a look at Egypt v. Ghana over the years.
The Olympics The first meeting between the two sides was in 1959, during Olympic qualifiers. The first game was on November 13 with the United Arab Republic coming out on top with a 2-1 win. In the second game on December 6, however, the United Arab Republic fell to a 2-0 loss.
At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Japan, the United Arab Republic met Ghana in the quarterfinals. The United Arab Republic won 5-1 after first going behind in the 37th minute with goals from Ibrahim Riad, Badawi Abdelfatah twice, and Rifaat El-Fanagily twice.
African Cup of Nations
Egypt have met Ghana three times in the African Cup of Nations. The first meeting was on February 9, 1970 in the group stages where a 1-1 draw was the end result, with Sayed Abdelrazek ‘Bazooka’ scoring Egypt’s goal.
The second meeting was on January 17, 1992 where Egypt lost 1-0 also in the group stages.
By far one of Egypt’s favorite memories against Ghana came in the 2010 final, where Egypt won 1-0, thanks to an 85th minute Gedo goal.
World Cup Qualifications
The last two times Egypt has encountered Ghana was the disappointing World Cup Qualifiers in 2013. A brutal 6-1 loss in the game in Ghana saw Aboutrika score his last national team goal. In the return leg in Egypt, a 2-1 win was not enough to overturn the result.
There have also been many friendlies and small competition games between the two sides over the years. Overall, there have been 24 games between Egypt and Ghana. Egypt have won 11, Ghana have won 8, and there have been 5 draws between the two sides.
The coming three games between Egypt and Ghana will not only be about the respective competitions, but also rewriting history between the Black Stars and the Pharaohs. Can Egypt reverse its World Cup Qualifiers luck against Ghana and beat them this time or will the Black Stars keep their dominance over Egypt in this competition?
Source: Kingfut.com