Fan zones and football viewing areas saw spirited cheers as well as heartbreak on Tuesday as Egypt and Argentina faced off against each other in a keenly fought game that had fans on the edge of their seats.
Dubai resident Federico Escobar found himself cheering for his home country in a shisha cafe filled with Egyptian supporters. “I was the only Argentinian there so when they scored, I didn’t really cheer,” he chuckled. “But I was worried in the first half of the game. I think Egypt played a really really good game. They were phenomenal. They should be proud of themselves.”
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Egyptian couple Mohammed and Bushra watched the game from a restaurant on Sheikh Zayed Road wearing matching red jerseys.
They said they were heartbroken after the game. “We are proud of our team and the performance they put on,” said Mohammed. “In the first half of the game, they absolutely dominated. There were several decisions by the referee which was questionable. We cant help but feel a little disappointed.”
Egypt were leading by two goals and looked set to pull off the biggest upset of this year’s tournament. In the 79th minute, Romero netted the first goal by Argentina before Messi and Fernandez followed up with two more goals in quick succession.
Some fans made a beeline for public viewing areas while others preferred to watch the match in the comfort of their homes. Egyptian resident Salma was one of those who watched the match at home with her family. She said that she was immensely proud of the team’s performance despite the result.
“They fought with everything they had until the very end. Of course we’re disappointed we didn’t win, but this team made us proud. Even though we didn’t get the result we hoped for, we’ve still made history, and that’s something every Egyptian can celebrate. This performance gives us hope for what’s to come.”
One UAE eatery decided to honour the heroics of Egypt by giving out freebies to fans. Salt, which was streaming the match live across several of its locations, promised free softies for fans wearing the Egypt jersey on Wednesday. “Still winners,” the restaurant chain captioned their social media post, while congratulating Argentina for their win.
Source: Khaleej Times