By Ivan Pereira
The Pharaohs took their second consecutive ACN title with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in the highly contested game in Ghana. Within minutes of the victory, dozens of Egyptian Astorians poured onto Steinway Street, the main thoroughfare of the largely North African neighborhood, halting traffic as they raised their black and red flag and cheered the triumph.”Our guys deserved it. The players and the coach did an extraordinary job,” said Mohsen Elebisy, 40, of Astoria.Egypt fans said the game left them on the edge of their seat. For nearly 77 minutes of the 90-minute game, their Pharaohs were scoreless against their rivals as both defenses held strong against each other.But late in the game, Egypt's Mohamed Aboutreika, a star player whose winning personality has earned him the nickname “The Smiling Assassin,” netted the game-winning score.”Winning that game felt very special for Egypt. Everyone gathered around and watched it attentively,” said Mamdough El-Fawal, 42, of New Hyde Park, who watched the game with a huge group of fans at the Layali Beirut hookah bar on Steinway Street.The win even amazed non-sport-savvy Egyptians like Marwa Ibrahim, 28, who works at the Alfrha grocery store on Steinway Street. For her, the win made her proud because it united all Egyptian Americans for an enjoyable occasion.”It's touching to see the flags and people on the street. It touches me to know that they won, even though I don't know who the players are,” she said.The Pharoahs' victory also made natives of other Middle Eastern nations excited. Although most of their homelands, such as Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, did not participate in the African tournament, they showed their support for Egypt as it took home the gold.”People in the other countries sat side by side with us and cheered the Egyptians on. It was a victory for them too,” El-Fawal said.Egypt also won the championship in the last African Cup of Nations, in 2006. The team will now move on to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, which is a prelude to the 2010 World Cup.Walid Mohamed, 38, a cab driver from Astoria, said he feels confident that his team will go all the way.”The coach is really good and he knows how to instruct his players. They also have been playing well and I think they'll be a good contender for the World Cup,” he said.Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
