Egypt and Ghana’s rivalry started back in 1959 when they first met in a qualifying clash for the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, with the Black Stars claiming their berth in the prestigious quadrennial event after beating Egypt 3-2 on aggregate. But there are four games between the African titans that stood out.
1964 Tokyo Olympic Games: Egypt 5-1 Ghana
Egypt and Ghana qualified for the summer Olympics along with Morocco as Africa’s three representatives. They both reached the quarter-finals, where they were paired together in a fierce clash.
The Pharaohs, playing under the name of the United Arab Republic back then, delivered a master class to win 5-1 against a Ghanaian side featuring Charles Addo, Gyau Agyemang, Mohammadu Salisu and Wilberforce Mfum.
Mfum, a 1963 African champion, opened the scoring in the 37th minute but Egypt roared back in style, scoring five goals in quick succession through Mohamed Badawi 42, 61, Ibrahim Riad 65, and Rifaat El-Fanagili 69 and 85.
1992 African Cup of Nations: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
Two years after putting in some fine displays at the 1990 World Cup, Egypt were tipped for glory in Senegal 1992.
However, it turned out to be a huge disappointment as they were eliminated from the first round and the game against Ghana was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
After losing to Zambia in their opening game, the North African giants were in a must-win situation to finish among the top in the three-team group. A Ghana golden generation led by the legendary Abedi Pele, a three time African player of the year and the Golden Boot winner of this tournament, handed Egypt a second 1-0 defeat courtesy of a goal from prolific striker Anthony Yeboah.
2010 African Cup of Nations: Egypt 1-0 Ghana
The 2010 Nations Cup marked the first time Egypt and Ghana met in the final of Africa’s most prestigious tournament. It was a nail-biting affair for over 70 minutes, with Ghana having the better possession.
Egypt coach Hassan Shehata then unleashed his deadliest weapon, introducing super sub Mohamed Nagy “Gedo”, the tournament’s top scorer.
Gedo curled in the winner in the 85th minute to net his fifth goal off the bench, upsetting a star-studded Ghana squad that included the likes of Andre Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah and Dominic Adiya who were all dreaming of winning a first title since 1982. Egypt won their seventh title to complete an unprecedented hat-trick of straight triumphs in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
2013 African World Cup qualifier: Ghana 6-1 Egypt
It was a nightmare in Kumasi, with Egypt suffering one of their worst ever defeats that left a bitter taste among Egyptian fans.
Struggling through local unrest, Egypt sought some solace in football, having topped their qualifying group following a perfect run of six victories from as many games.
It seemed that Egypt’s golden generation, led by Mohamed Abou-Treika, Wael Gomaa and Mohamed Salah will finally end the country’s long wait for a World Cup appearance.
But all these hopes were dashed in the first leg of the playoff when Ghana hammered Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, thanks to a brace from Asamoah Gyan and goals from Abdulmajeed Waris, Christian Atsu, Sulley Muntari and an own goal from Wael Gomaa
Abou-Treika scored Egypt’s solitary goal which was merely a consolation, with Ghana recording their biggest ever victory over Egypt before losing the second leg 2-1 in Cairo to advance to the World Cup 7-3 on aggregate.
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