And the band plays on

EgyptRobson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
WHEN veteran Egyptian ‘keeper Essam El-Hadary turned back the hands of time with two spectacular saves in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Gabon on Wednesday night, the football world rose in unison to salute the latest heroics from an athlete who continues to defy the vagaries of age.

And, amid all the euphoria his heroics have generated for a game that is always crying out for a Cinderella tale, it’s easy to forget that the 44-year-old first made his mark in international football in this country as part of the Young Pharaohs’ team which tamed the Young Warriors to win gold at the All-Africa Games.

That was way back in 1995 — George Weah became the first, and only, African footballer to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or given to the best footballer in the world, Eric Cantona exploded in rage with his kung-fu kick on an abusive Crystal Palace fan, Blackpool became the first Zimbabwean club to reach the semi-finals of a CAF inter-club competition and American football superstar OJ Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his former wife, Nicole, and Ronald Goldman.

And, of course, Burkinabe international footballer Bertrand Traore, was born on September 6 that year.

On Wednesday night, 22 years down the line, Traore would emerge as the fall guy when his decisive fifth spot kick for his country, in that shoot-out in Gabon, was saved by El-Hadary.

Today, the ageless ‘keeper now stands on the threshold of winning a fifth Nations Cup crown with Egypt, and a fourth award as the best ‘keeper at the tournament after winning the same award at the 2006, 2008 and 2010 AFCON finals which the Pharaohs won, after playing a leading role in his team’s campaign in Gabon.

While El-Hadary — who produced a man-of-the-match performance on Wednesday night to power Egypt into Sunday’s Nations Cup final — continues to play at the very top level of football, all the Young Warriors he faced during that All-Africa Games adventure have long retired from the game.

A number have ventured into coaching with Methembe Ndlovu, who was the star midfielder of that Young Warriors team, having won a league title, as coach of Zimbabwe football giants Highlanders, 11 years ago.

Methembe played in the United States, after that show for the Young Warriors, before returning home to guide his boyhood club Bosso to the championship title in 2006 and, since he left to pursue other interests, the country’s oldest football club — and its second most successful team — are yet to win the league title.

These days Methembe runs a football club, Bantu Rovers, with his American partners, which has found its way back into the domestic Premiership, although its mission is to identify and develop talent that can be exported to European markets with Warriors’ midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, who plays for Dutch side Virtese Arnhem, being one of their best products.

Gift Muzadzi, who was the goalkeeper of that Young Warriors’ team in ’95, has also long ventured into coaching and — after a stint as the goalkeepers’ coach at Dynamos last year — he has moved to join his former teammate Tonderai Ndiraya at ambitious Ngezi Platinum Stars who are in their second season in the domestic Premiership.

Muzadzi, who is a year younger than El-Hadary, was in goals for those Young Warriors in the final of that All-Africa Games showdown at the National Sports Stadium in 1995 when the Egyptians destroyed a nation’s dream by winning 3-1 thanks to a double strike from Ali Maher and another goal from Sami Koumsan.

George Mbwando, who has been in Germany in the past two decades and represented the Warriors at the 2004 and 2006 Nations Cup finals as a wing-back, scored for the Young Warriors that day in the 87th minute — during his days as a striker — to halve the deficit after the Egyptians had raced to a two-goal lead.

But a 90th minute goal from the outstanding Maher ensured there was no fairy-tale come-back for the Young Warriors, in their home tournament, in a thrilling final that produced three goals in the final three minutes.

A few days earlier, the Young Warriors had scored twice, in the final three minutes, to beat Congo Brazzaville 2-1, amid extraordinary drama before 40 000 fans at Rufaro, to avoid elimination and qualify for the semi-finals with Stewart Murisa getting the priceless equaliser and Edlebert Dinha scoring the winner.

With a minute left in regulation time, in a game they needed to win to avoid elimination, the Young Warriors were up against it but, in a remarkable show of a never-say-die spirit, Musrisa headed them level with a minute left in regulation time and, after the outstanding Alois Bunjira missed a good chance, he then provided the cross that was turned home by Dinha for an incredible victory.

Bunjira, who runs his academy and has briefly coached in the domestic Premiership, has been one of the pundits for ZTV’s coverage of the 2017 AFCON finals while the captain of that Young Warriors’ side, Vusi Laher, who was forced to retire at the turn of the millennium because of a bad injury, was one of the pundits for ZTV as El-Hadary performed his heroics.

Chamu Musanhu, whose profile rose during that tournament, has long retired and settled in England while Prince Matore is coaching in South Africa, Elasto Lungu is involved in football administration in that country, while the Muteji twins — Cain and Abel — Lloyd Jowa and Chris Kawema were also part of that Young Warriors team which also came within two matches of qualifying for the ’96 Olympic Games only to beaten by Nigeria.

That Nigerian side became the first African team to win football gold at the Atlanta Olympics showcasing the talents of stars like Jay Jay Okocha and Nwanko Kanu.

But, for El-Hadary, the journey continues and one of his teammates in Gabon is as young as his daughter.

“The player who is almost at the same age as my daughter . . . I treat all my team-mates as brothers and I treat him just like a team-mate,” the ‘keeper told journalists in Gabon on Wednesday.

“I embrace them all and I am always around them giving advice because this is part of my job as a team captain and friend. I don’t make them feel the gap in the age because I believe this should be normal.”

When Aristide Bance scored Burkina Faso’s equaliser on Wednesday night, it ended El-Hadary’s remarkable record of 10 hours and 53 minutes without conceding a goal at the Nations Cup finals with the last goal conceded having come in the 25th-minute of the 2010 quarter-final tie.

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