The discussion in Egyptian sports circles has not ceased regarding the Pharaoh national team's group in the upcoming 2021 Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for July, amidst various reactions from the Egyptian public ranging from despair to hope. Egypt has been placed in Group C, which includes teams from Argentina, Spain, and Australia, and has been referred to as the "Group of Death" by both the media and the public due to the tough competition.
However, the history of this global sporting event proves the Egyptians' ability to withstand "the Group of Death."
**Qualification at Brazil's Expense**
Sport critic Mohamed Talba looks back to 1964 when the Egyptian national team was preparing to participate in the Olympics for the sixth time in its history. The draw results were contrary to everyone’s wishes, placing Egypt in a group with Brazil, Czechoslovakia, and South Korea. Notably, Czechoslovakia remained intact until its peaceful dissolution on January 1, 1993, into two countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Talba tells Sky News Arabia: "At that time, the Brazilian team was the world champion against Czechoslovakia, meaning the Egyptian team was competing against the strongest teams in the world to qualify, in a group that could be minimally described as 'the Group of Death,' which was also the third group."
He continues: "Egypt played its first match in the group against Brazil and managed to come back after Brazil took the lead. Egypt scored the equalizer, and the match ended in this result."
Talba explains that this surprising result raised hopes among Egyptians of achieving a miracle, but the second match in the group threatened those dreams. He adds: "In the match between Egypt and Czechoslovakia, the European team achieved a significant victory with a score of five goals to one."
**Dreams Triumphant**
The Pharaohs entered the "game of calculations," preparing to face the South Korean team with one point. On the other hand, there was a strong matchup recalling the 1962 World Cup final between Brazil, having three points after the draw with Egypt and a win over the Asian team, and Czechoslovakia, with four points after winning its first two matches in the tournament.
The Egyptian team delivered a strong performance against South Korea, winning by ten goals to none. Meanwhile, the European team defeated Brazil, granting Egypt the qualification card based on goal difference, as both teams ended up with the same points.
**The Rest of the Tournament**
After advancing from the group stage, Egypt prepared to face Ghana in the quarterfinals, achieving a wide victory with a score of five goals to one, allowing the Egyptian adventure in Tokyo, which was hosting the Olympics at the time, to continue.
In the semifinals, Egypt faced the Hungarian team, ending with a six-to-nothing win for the European team, setting Hungary up for a final against Czechoslovakia, while Egypt prepared to face East Germany in the third-place match.
Amid Egyptians' hopes of earning a bronze medal, the Pharaohs faced East Germany, but the European team won three goals to one, placing Egypt fourth for the second time after the achievement in 1928. This remains the best ranking the Egyptian team has achieved in Olympic football. In the final, the Hungarian team triumphed two goals to one over Czechoslovakia, which failed to recover from its World Cup final loss to Brazil two years before that Olympic tournament.
