Pharaohs' fallen idol
The bookmakers will let you make just about any old bet these days. On Tuesday evening, they would have given you generous odds indeed, against Mido receiving a winner's medal from President Hosni Mubarak. Nevertheless, it happened.
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Suspended Mido consoles Didier Drogba.
What a whirlwind week it was for moody Mido. It all started with a decision by Egyptian coach Hasan Shehata to replace his biggest asset with Amr Zaki near the end of the semi-final against Senegal, with the game deadlocked at 1-1.
It turned out to be a stroke of genius by Shehata, since Zaki scored the goal that took the Pharaohs through to the final.
Mido reacted furiously to the switch and had to be calmed down by his teammates. Not that he cooled off immediately, upon learning that Egypt had banned him for six months.
His initial statements to the media suggested he wanted to forget about the national team and throw his lot in with Spurs, who give him his wage packet.
By Wednesday afternoon he had done a volte-face and apologized for his shoddy conduct. After that, love was truly in the air. A tearful Mido attended training the day before the final and was seen giving Shehata a massive hug. But there was no going back on the six-month suspension.
Unable to sit on the bench, officially listed as absent on the CAF team-sheet, an anxious looking Mido joined the 74,000 spectators in roaring on the Pharaohs.
Amid all the Mido hoopla, it was easy to forget that Egypt would have to defeat the Ivory Coast for the second time in the competition. This was never going to be an easy task, given the steely defensive qualities Henri Michel's team had displayed in previous matches: particularly in the 1-0 win over Nigeria in the last four.
In the event, it was no picnic for either side, and certainly nothing for Tunisian referee Mourad Daami to write home about. No one of fair mind can possibly argue that the penalty awarded to Egypt, in favour of Mohamed Barakat and against Blaise Kouassi at the beginning of the first period of extra time was a correct decision. Sadly, it wasn't the only serious refereeing mistake we saw at this African Cup of Nations.
However, the Egyptian captain Ahmed Hassan contrived to miss, and justice was done.
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Koffiblaise Kouassi disputes the penalty awarded against him with linesman Celestine Ntagungira.
We weren't finished with spot kicks though. Following 120 gruelling minutes, we moved inexorably towards the dreaded penalty shoot-out. Very often in these affairs, one can detect early on, which of the two goalkeepers is better equipped to handle the pressure of the occasion. In this case, Egypt's Essam El Hadary appeared far more commanding than his opposite number, Jean-Jacques Tizie, who had been carrying an injury ahead of the final.
El Hadary waited as long as possible for each penalty, giving nothing anything away. As often seems to be the case, the tactic worked. Saving Didier Drogba's effort, the Ivorians' first penalty of the shoot-out, was crucial. He later stopped a weak kick from Bakary Kone.
Egypt were even able to allow themselves to miss once through Abdelhalim Ali, the Zamalek striker who had come on as an extra time substitute.
No one could begrudge Mohamed Aboutrika the chance to make certain of Egypt's record fifth African Cup of Nations victory. The Al Ahli midfielder had been the guiding light for the Pharaohs throughout the competition. His penalty was confidently struck, with Tizie gambling on direction and losing.
So Egypt are the champions and they did it in the end without their star striker, the man we all thought was a pre-requisite for Egyptian success.
There will be those who claim they couldn't have prevailed in any other country. We heard the same thing about Tunisia two years ago.
I, for one, think it's often harder for the host nation. The dual rigours of playing in front of your own demanding crowd, and intolerable pressure from the media, frequently combine to make it a bridge too far.
In this case, the Mido circus could have ruined Hasan Shehata's preparations for the final.
That it didn't, means Egypt deserve all the plaudits going.
