Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny: We made Egypt's dreams come true with World Cup qualification

Egyptian fans and players celebrate their World Cup qualification
AFP/Getty Images
James Benge30 May 2018

Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny believes he and his team-mates made a dream come true for Egypt by earning World Cup qualification.

The Pharaohs will play in their first tournament in 28 years, and only their third World Cup in total, after battling past Uganda, Ghana and Congo in a keenly contested qualification process.

Their passage to Russia was secured with a 2-1 win over Congo in Alexandria, with talismanic forward Mohamed Salah scoring a penalty in the 94th minute to claim victory.

“The night before the Congo game, I was dreaming all night,” Elneny told the Arsenal website. “I was dreaming about the referee’s whistle and being in the World Cup. I think this was a dream for everybody in Egypt.

“When we were awarded a penalty, everyone was so happy. It was almost as if we’d qualified already but of course it’s a 50/50. At the same time, everybody was celebrating already but we hadn’t scored yet.

“When we did score and we’d won the game and I knew that we’d made it, then we could celebrate. I felt something that I’ve never experienced before. It was pure happiness. After all the hard work, we’d made that dream finally come true.”

Egypt may have to play at least part of their group stage campaign without Salah, who injured his shoulder in Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid on Saturday.

The Egyptian Football Association hope to have Salah available for their opening game against Uruguay on June 15 but admit their chances are faint.

With or without Salah, Elneny is aware of the impact a strong World Cup can have on Egypt.

“In Egypt, football affects so many people,” he said. “We’re told all the time that the relationship between the people and football affects our economy and our overall mood. It affects every household, rich and poor.

“When the national team wins, everyone is happy and productive, but when we lose the opposite happens."

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