The Egyptian national team advanced to the semifinals of the Arab Cup in Doha after achieving a hard-fought victory over Jordan, winning 3-1 in the quarterfinal match held tonight at Al Janoub Stadium. This win sets up a showdown between Egypt and Tunisia next Wednesday in the semifinals.
The match ended in regular time with both teams tied at 1-1, leading to extra time. Ahmed Refaat scored the second goal for Egypt in the 99th minute, followed by Marwan Dawoud adding the third goal for the Pharaohs in the 120th minute. A penalty awarded to Egypt in the early stages of the first extra time for Zizo, after being fouled by Jordanian goalkeeper Yazid Abu Layla, was canceled by the Honduran referee.
Egypt started the match with a lineup that included "Mohamed El-Shenawy, Ahmed Yasin, Mahmoud El-Wench, Omar Kamal, Ahmed Fattouh, Amr El-Solia, Hamdi Fathy, Hussein Faisal, Mostafa Fathi, Ahmed Sayed Zizo, and Marwan Hamdy." On the bench were "Mohamed Sobhi, Mahmoud Gad, Marwan Dawoud, Ahmed Refaat, Mohannad Lashin, Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, Osama Faisal, Mohamed Magdy Afsha, and Mohamed Sherif."
The match began with a lot of enthusiasm from the Egyptian players, who pressed from the first minutes in search of an early goal. Mostafa Fathi threatened the Jordanian goal in the 5th minute, but the goalkeeper saved it. In the 10th minute, Jordan responded with a quick counterattack that ended in a shot on El-Shenawy's goal, which the international goalkeeper successfully saved.
Jordan managed to take the lead in the 12th minute through Yazn Al-Naimat with a powerful shot that found the net. In the 20th minute, a Jordanian striker almost scored a second goal with a ground shot that El-Shenawy managed to deflect out of the field. Egypt's attacks picked up momentum through Mostafa Fathi, Ahmed Fattouh, and Amr El-Solia, but without any real danger, while El-Shenawy saved a near-certain goal for Jordan in the 27th minute with a rocket shot that nearly put the Jordanians two goals ahead.
In the 38th minute, a powerful shot from outside the box was saved by the crossbar, denying Jordan another goal. The Jordanian goalkeeper also saved clear scoring chances from Mostafa Fathi and Hussein Faisal in the 42nd and 43rd minutes, respectively. In the 45th minute, Marwan Hamdy equalized for the Pharaohs, ending the first half in a 1-1 tie.
At the start of the second half, Egypt missed a clear goal opportunity when a ball rolled across the Jordanian goal without being converted by Hussein Faisal. In the 53rd minute, Mahmoud El-Wench miscalculated a ball that almost cost Egypt a second goal when Yazn Al-Naimat intercepted it and shot it just inches away from El-Shenawy's right post.
Coach Carlos Queiroz made his first substitution in the 58th minute, bringing on Mohamed Sherif for Hussein Faisal, followed by two more substitutions in the 72nd minute with Afsha and Mohannad Lashin replacing Mostafa Fathi and Hamdi Fathy. The Pharaohs controlled the game in search of a second goal.
In the 80th minute, El-Wench saved a clear goal for Jordan by preventing a striker from breaking away to score past El-Shenawy, maintaining the 1-1 draw. In the 89th minute, Zizo bizarrely headed a long ball from Amr El-Solia outside the goal, which was a great opportunity, leading to the end of regular time at 1-1.
The Egyptian national team qualified as the leader of Group D after drawing with Algeria in their last thrilling match, finishing 1-1. However, the Pharaohs advanced due to the fair play rule. Meanwhile, the Jordanian team reached the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group C with six points, looking to maintain a strong performance in the tournament and seek to eliminate the Pharaohs.
