Football

I’m sure you’ve all been closely watching the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. So you already know that Tunisia didn’t make it past the first round. We watched their third match against Cameroon in downtown Tunis in the Hotel Africa lobby last week. We drank local Celtia beer and ate the hors d’oeuvres share of the four or five surrounding tables. If Tunisia had advanced, the country would be celebrating long after we leave. They held the lead twice, at the beginning of each half, but the game was sloppy and Cameroon took the win.

So, Tunisia’s out. No problem, really. Algeria is still in, and hey! They’re our nearest neighbor. It’s as if we are cheering for the home team. Plus, any team that’s up against Egypt will be rooted for by Tunisians. This game was a pretty big deal; the last against Algeria in 2004 was quite controversial.

Much to our disappointment, we were let down again with Egypt’s annihilating performance: a shutout with four goals scored and a new record for 18 consecutive wins. In two days it will be the Black Stars of Ghana vs. the Pharaohs of Egypt for the title. Get ready for riots in the streets.

We miss soccer…