CANSWING

Russia 2018 will have five African nations who will represent the continent. In Part I of our inspection of those teams, we travel to Northern Africa and have a look at Egypt and Morocco, and their chances for glory at the global showpiece

The Pharaohs are back where they belong but haven’t consistently been there – boxing against the best in the world. The Egyptians have struggled to take their dominance in Africa to the World Cup. Egypt won the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) three times in a row from 2006 to 2010 but they didn’t qualify for the global showpiece during that spell.

In fact, their trip to Russia is their first participation in the event since 1990.

Their star player, Mohamed Salah, was just two years old at the time, just to show how long it’s been.

Essam El-Hadary was 17 years old in 1990. The legendary 45-yearold goalkeeper is set to become the oldest player to feature at the World Cup should he make the trip. His experience and the hunger to succeed from international football upstarts like Salah, Mohamed Elneny and Mostafa Fathi makes Egypt a well-balanced team.

Argentinian coach Hector Cuper has instilled a good work ethic and team unity, kicking out players who think that they are bigger than the team.

There is a feeling that what this generation has already done is just the beginning, there is more they will do in the continent and world stage. Russia is a perfect platform to showcase that.

Egypt are in a relatively okay group, along with the hosts Russia, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. But what will make it tricky is that the game where they are definitely guaranteed three points, against Saudi Arabia, will be their last as they first have to negotiate Uruguay and then Russia.

They need a positive result in those matches to have a solid foundation.

They have shown great strength and character to bounce back from the football crisis that hit them due to the political turmoil to return to being among the best in the continent.

They lost only one match in a tough group in the qualifiers, competing against Ghana, Uganda and Congo-Brazzaville. Their discipline and good attack helped them past those three teams. The Egyptian forward is simply magical. He breaks records with the same ease he puts the ball in the back of the net. He holds the record for the most goals by an Egyptian in the English Premier League, the most goals in a season by a Liverpool player and the most goals by an African player in England in a season, among others. He has done all of this and more in his first season in England. His exploits earned him the PFA Player of the Year which joins the African Footballer of the Year award the Confederation of African Football bestowed upon him earlier this year. He carries the hopes of millions of Egyptians and a billion Africans as he leads the team that could break that quarter-finals’ ceiling at the World Cup.

Salah showed his composure by slotting the penalty, in optional time, that took Egypt to the World Cup for the first time since the 1990 edition in Italy.

That penalty against CongoBrazzaville helped Salah complete a brace in the 2-1 win. He was also inspirational in last year’s Afcon which the Pharaohs lost in the final.

Hector Cuper will look at him to lead Egypt in the nation’s resurgence after spending a number of years in the wilderness in the continental and world stage.

His pace, skills and goal-scoring prowls make him an asset that any coach would love to have in his arsenal. What also makes him a threat is his humility. Despite being a star player at Liverpool and Egypt, Salah has remained grounded and doesn’t have a star player mentality.

Everything he does is for the good of the team. That will come in handy for the Egyptians in the World Cup which will be the biggest test of Cuper since he took over the team. This will be the Pharaohs third World Cup. ITALY 1934 ITALY 1990 P1 W0 D0 L1 GF2 GA4 P3 W0 D2 L1 GF1 GA2 RUSSIA 2018 FIXTURES Friday: v Uruguay, 2pm June 19: v Russia, 8pm June 25: v Saudi Arabia, 4pm

MOROCCO qualified for the World Cup without conceding a goal in a group that had plenty of attacking threats from Ivory Coast to Mali and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon. Their solid defence is the foundation that they are built on. They aren’t fancy but they are effective.

They are a lot like the Zambia team that Herve Renard stunned the continent with to win the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. They don’t grab many headlines with their play but everything is methodological and smoothly done, so by the time their opponents wake up they are already home and dry.

The Lions of Atlas have been a sleeping giant in African football and they look on course to return to being among the best. They are, after all, the first African country to top their group in the World Cup and the first to reach the second round. Their qualification in the Russia edition of the World Cup is the first time they’ll be in the global showpiece in 20 years. Just like Egypt, they have a lot of making up to do. Morocco are in a tough group with Portugal, Spain and Iran.

But if they can beat the second team to book a ticket to Russia, Iran – while Spain and Portugal cancel each other in the opening round, they could sit in pole position of their group. That’s easier said than done. They have to work on their potency upfront as it’s still not at world-beaters level. They owe much of their success to a solid defence that needs to be complemented by a strong attack. Renard’s biggest challenge will be managing a country that has the financial means and the players but that hasn’t translated to consistent good performances at international level. The Turkey-based midfielder is the conductor of the Moroccan orchestra. He led them to producing sweet music in the qualifiers. Belhanda flirted with France, playing for them in the junior national teams before choosing Morocco in the senior national setup. He is a skilful midfielder who can make something out of nothing. He is driven to emulate his heroes who played in the 1998 World Cup in France, including Mustapha Hadji who now serves as coach Herve Renard’s assistant.

“I was eight years old at the time, and I can still remember that tournament as if it were yesterday,” Belhanda said. “We rushed to get out of school to catch Morocco’s games – the team was packed with stars back then. Following their progress was amazing. The 1998 team played a key role in my decision to represent Morocco. I remember their dynamic style and the love the players had for the jersey. I remember their matches against Norway and Scotland, where they showed how good they were. They deserved to qualify for the last 16. Constantly changing coaches has definitely had a negative impact, because it’s caused a lack of cohesion. It’s difficult to quickly build a team capable of competing with the best Africa has to offer. In the modern game, you need stability, and with that the results will come in time. We have a duty to our country and to ourselves.”

The Moroccans are more stable now and they are on an upward trajectory in the continent. They currently boast the Caf Champions League holders, Wydad Casablanca, and they are also looking to become the second African national to host the World Cup with their 2026 bid. Belhanda’s generation’s task is to ensure that they keep the current buzz going by doing well in Russia. The Lions of the Atlas will be competing in their fifth World Cup finals. MEXICO 1970

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P3 W1 D1 L1 GF5 GA5 RUSSIA 2018 FIXTURES Friday: v Iran, 5pm June 20: v Portugal, 2pm June 25: v Spain, 8pm