Text: Mario Schwarz

Travel report

4 and 5 April 2019 at the Marine Sports Club, Hurghada/Egypt

by Mario Schwarz

As a team newcomer, I have the great pleasure and honour of writing a short piece about our four-day trip to Egypt.
You could well call it an “Egyptian Spring” for our team, because the conditions for a successful tournament were rather modest. On the one hand, our squad was reduced at short notice by illness and work commitments; on the other, my teammates had told me about the team’s last results. In short, the German team is regarded as a welcome supplier of points. On the evening we arrived, I watched one of our opponents, Sudan, train – and after that I was sure we would not finish this tournament last.

Announcing my observations did not exactly fill my teammates with enthusiasm; if anything, there was some scepticism. We postponed the subject to the next day and enjoyed the evening at the Indian restaurant on the square, with delicious food and sport-specific cold drinks. A good night’s sleep made for fresh faces and bodies on the first day of the tournament. After a small breakfast and a dip in the nearby sea, we were on the pitch. Our opponents on day one were Armenia, Egypt, Sudan and an Egyptian regional selection.

As Armenia and Egypt had to be counted among the favourites, our goal for the day was to get three points. On the second day we expected the strong teams from Ukraine and Belarus, so our target remained three points and sixth place out of seven. The format: everyone played everyone.

Our reduced squad was kindly topped up by three Egyptian guest players. After a lavish opening ceremony, it was finally time. In the first group match, the Armenians immediately showed us why they were considered one of the favourites. After a good start by our team, they played to their strengths and pulled away to 3–0. After a quick shake-up at half-time, we showed good morale and came back to 2–3. We went all out, but in the end had to accept a 2–5 defeat. Despite the loss, it was a good start against a strong Armenian side.

In the second match we took a 1–0 lead against Egypt – until the next blow struck. Making a brilliant save, our goalkeeper Olaf injured his finger. After the interruption and a change in goal, we lost our rhythm and the Egyptians literally played us off the park. Within a few minutes they were 5–1 up. Despite good morale once again and two more goals to make it 3–5, this match ended in a 3–8 defeat.

Now it was time to regroup and prepare for our supposed top match against Sudan. With all the effort we were putting into the games, we finally had to get something to show for it. The nerves were almost tangible. With a new goalkeeper and Olaf playing outfield with a taped finger, we went into the match against Sudan. We took the lead after five minutes and quickly added a second. In the end it was a clear 5–0 win – deserved in that margin, too, because our well-worked moves presented the Sudanese with insurmountable obstacles.

Football is simply more fun when you win. You could see a smile on every one of our players’ faces.

In the last match of the day we had to pay tribute to the day’s exertions. Everyone’s movements became a little slower; the freshness was gone. Nevertheless, we led the good regional selection 1–0 for a long time, but due to lack of strength and unlucky penalty decisions by the otherwise very good referees we lost 2–3. Tournament goal achieved, and at times we played good football, which the crowd rewarded with applause.

Accordingly, our summary that evening was very positive. We sat in a small restaurant on the promenade with the slogan “Best Pizza in Town”.
That works, of course. In the end the pizza wasn’t exactly worth a Michelin star, but there was a four-course menu for the price of a Big Mac.

Plus a sensational landlord who you’d think usually performs on Broadway. We immediately booked a table for the next evening. The joy of the three points faded when we turned our attention to our next two opponents. Our greatest hope was that they would enjoy a nice evening with their national spirits and not be at full strength the next day. Otherwise there was little hope of adding to our points tally.

But first, things turn out differently in football, and second, not as you think:
1. The teams from Ukraine and Belarus turned up in top form on the second day.
2. Germany rightly enjoys an international reputation as a tournament team.

Against Ukraine we surpassed ourselves. With a top performance from every player, we won 2–1 after going 0–1 down. Unbelievable – we had beaten Ukraine; nobody would have thought that possible before the tournament. In the last match against Belarus we again came from behind and wrested a 1–1 draw from them.

So in the end we had seven points and a sensational fifth place on the board. We left Sudan and Belarus behind us; Ukraine finished fourth. In an exciting three-way battle, the regional selection took third place. The Egyptians beat the Armenians on head-to-head record with equal points and won the title on home soil. The cherry on top: our team provided the best player of the tournament. And we were the only team to score at least one goal in every match.

After the closing celebrations and a never-ending photo marathon, we rounded off the evening at “Best Pizza in Town”. Our mood was a mixture of bliss, pride and amazement at our tournament performance.

I can only say a heartfelt thank you for letting me be part of it.

Many thanks to my teammates Olaf, Ralf, Bernd and Andreas, and to our great guest players Ihmet, Buggi and goalkeeping titan Ahmet. I hope this wasn’t our last trip. Sudan is calling. I had a great time. Until next time!

Yours, Mario