Soccer!

It’s amazing the amount of change in the collective attitude of a country that a week can bring. Tonight, the streets of Ma’adi are remarkably quiet. A week ago, however, that was not the case. Revelers danced in the street and beat drums. People lit fires and honked horns in the celebratory tah-tah-ti-ti-tah pattern. Cars drove around with Egyptian flags stuck on their hoods, sides, windows. Partiers shouted “Masr! Masr!” (Egypt! Egypt!) from car windows and balconies. All this was a result of Egypt playing soccer against Algeria in Cairo. They managed to score a goal in the last minute of an overtime penalty at the end of the game. This goal allowed them to play a third game in the World Cup qualifiers.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. Egypt played Algeria again – only this time they played in the Sudan. In Cairo, people sat eagerly glued to television sets in cafes and at home. Overall, the game was disappointing. Egypt didn’t even manage to score and Algeria won with only 1 point. In the café where I was at, a sullen hush descended as the game came to a close. The streets were quiet except for the rare die-hard driver who refused to let it be and still honked that happy pattern.