Egypt’s first World Cup match since 1990 ended in defeat after a last minute goal by Uruguay. Yet, for many Egyptians, missing out on the three points was not a defeat. “This was a victory for Egypt. We managed to hold off one of the best teams in the World Cup and only a small error led to them winning in the last minute,” said 27-year-old Karim Mohamed who watched the match with friends in the United Kingdom. “This shows we can defeat Russia and Saudi.” In Egyptian media and on social media, the response has been similar. In previous defeats, Egypt’s national team and coach have often scrambled to respond to criticism. This time around, Egyptians have been praising the Pharaohs for their formidable effort. On Egyptian Streets’ Facebook, many people responded to Egyptian Streets’ caption that the result was an “upsetting outcome”. “It’s not upsetting at all! What a wonderful game we played! Be realistic and optimistic. Look at what we gained from the toughest game in our group,” wrote Bishoy Magdy who wrote the most liked comment on Egyptian Streets’ article. “Upsetting? Are you serious? We were expecting a…
