The sweet taste of revenge

James Montague

• Last Updated: November 20. 2009 12:17AM UAE / November 19. 2009 8:17PM GMT

Outside the garish, flickering neon signs of the Shishawi cafe on London’s Edgware Road, a thin blue line of British policemen separated the crushed red and black from the jubilant green and white shirts.

“One, two, three, Vive Algerie!” shouted the hundreds gathered on one side of the pavement in celebration.

“Masr, Masr, Masr!” responded the Egyptians defiantly.

Young boys on both sides scrambled up trees to fix their country’s flags as far up as possible. Inevitably, the Algerians managed to fly their flag higher.

Moments after the final whistle had blown in Khartoum, a narrow 1-0 victory sending Algeria to their first finals since Mexico ’86, hundreds of fans had poured out of the cafes of London’s famous Arab district to celebrate, and commiserate, what will go down as one of the most controversial qualifying episodes in World Cup history.

Violence and mistrust had marred the build up to the crucial play-off, taking place 20 years since the two teams played in similar heated circumstance for a place at Italia ’90.

In Cairo at the weekend the Algerian team bus had been attacked, injuring four of the squad.

The Egyptian press blamed the incident on the Algerians trying to make trouble.

At least 20 Algerian fans were then injured in the aftermath of Egypt’s last gasp 2-0 victory, which forced the play-off in Sudan, and riots spread to cities across the globe. The world braced itself for more trouble after last night’s game.

Student Nasim Mechouri watched the game in the pro-Algerian Babylon cafe, and witnessed Antar Yahia score the stunning and decisive goal.

On the opposite side of the road, just a few yards away, Egyptian fans sat, grim faced, in another cafe watching the reality unfold.

“I was only three in 1989 [when Algeria and Egypt played in the so called ‘Death Match’],” said Mechouri. “But I think this will take a good few years to heal. Anyone who has watched this will be bitter for a long time.”

The performance of the stand- in Algerian goalkeeper Fawzi Chaouchi will live equally as long in the memory.

Chaouchi was only playing after Lounes Gaouaoui was suspended after being booked for time wasting in Cairo but kept out wave after wave of Egyptian attacks in the second half including several point blank saves.

Yet, as the game reached its climax, the Egyptians seemed spent, devoid of ideas. Their heroics from four days ago counted for nothing.

“We have found justice in the world. We played, we won and we just say to Egypt, ‘Shut up!’” the Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra said after the game.

His words proved there were still wounds that will need to be healed. The past few days have highlighted the intense underlying rivalries between the two countries. Even after the match, in Khartoum, the war of words continued.

Whilst most of the world’s press agreed that the aftermath had passed relatively peacefully, Egyptian media reported that, this time, it was they that were attacked.

The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, had even told the Sudanese government, rather bluntly, that he would be watching from home and would send in the army if trouble broke out.

But the army stayed in their barracks as the Algerian flag flew in the streets from Khartoum to Algiers to London.

“This is a big victory for the Algerian people, as we are passive people and this shows we have the sporting spirit,” shouted Qassi Ait Touati, a chef, as several hundred Algerian fans with drums and horns moved from the Edgware Road and loudly snaked through bewildered British Christmas shoppers on Oxford Street.

sports@thenational.ae