Jewels in the Nile – Ghana 2008

Not so much a brilliant pitch
For Shehata’s latino passing style
To pit wits with the indomitable lions came
The boys from the land of the Nile

They lined up with much fanfare in Accra
Largely what is Marcel Desailly’s roots
But looming large was the lethal poacher Eto
The assassin with the deadly shooting boots

Spirited pedigree they may have held
Biyick, Milla, Mboma's finesse
An insight was gained into an achilles heel
With Royal Bikey's moment of madness

Though reigning champs the Pharoahs were unfancied
Would they again be first past the post?
Solid start against Zambia's Chipolopolo's
Then Sudan, Tunisia, the Ivory Coast

It was left for Al Ahly's shining son
Aboutrika with the killer touch
So applying twice the final winning stroke
Is there a better African schemer as such?

Recalling the last time he'd hit home the winning pen
Level to the ground, he arched his lumbar
As the squad from Misr united all for one
Praise be to God, "Allahu Akbar!"

Arab, Athenian or Andalusi
Doesn't matter if you're Appalachian
All brothers united, be they Egyptian, Muslim
or Amr Zaki, the Coptic Christian

The adventure had been more than just color and vigour
The play was a joy to behold
A superb spectacle blemished by small crowds
Empty stadia left the atmosphere cold

For a record time champions they became
A great nation stood tall and proud
The cup returned to the land of the Pharoah
Let's hear it out nice and loud

Al Hadari, Gomaa, Hani Said
Mohammed, Abd Rabou, Fathi, Zaki
Moteab, Hassan, Aboutrika
Moawad, Zidan, Said, Shawky

© Emdad Rahman
www.football-poems.com

Well done Egypt – African Cup of Nations Champions - 2008