Egypt will be hoping for a miracle, and then some, when they take on Ghana in the second leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff in Cairo in Tuesday.
Bob Bradley and his team are staring at a massive 6-1 deficit after Ghana ran riot in the first leg in Kumasi, and the former USA coach knows the magnitude of the task at hand for his side.
"For two years, we have represented Egypt, and we represented Egyptian football in a strong, proud, good way," Bradley said. "Ninety minutes in Kumasi did not change that. Yes, it was a terrible result, we accept that. But it does not change the way these players and the coaching staff have represented Egypt during a tough time in a way that I feel people can still feel good about."
Ghana will be feeling confident of booking their place in the World Cup for the third straight time, knowing if they pretty much turn up and not become too complacent then a ticket to Brazil is theirs.
In what was expected to be a tightly-fought encounter, Ghana just had the rub of the green go their way on a day when their players could do no wrong. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan said it was the home crowd that inspired the players to put their best foot forward against Egypt.
"You can't really expect such a massive result against a team like Egypt," he told FIFA.com. "We were hoping to get a comfortable win at home, but things just went right for us on the night.
"We deserved it. The players fought their hearts out -- everyone was fighting so hard. And the crowd were simply amazing."
While a comeback for Egypt, where they will have to score at least five goals without answer, in the second leg looks unlikely, stranger things have happened in football and Gyan is not taking qualification to the World Cup for granted just yet.
"We're desperate to get back to the World Cup, but we have to make sure we do things in the right way in the second leg," he added. "It's football, so anything can happen.
"We're in a comfortable position right now, but we need to totally focus on our job and make sure we do what we have to do to reach Brazil. We have to do things the right way in Cairo."
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 6 pm local time (9.30 pm IST) start with no live coverage in India. To catch the action live streaming online through Bein Sport in the U.S. click HERE. To watch it live online via Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East and North Africa, click HERE. To live stream it in the U.K. via the BT Sport online player, click HERE.
