New Zealand U-23s - Quali Whites

Yeah, they must know something about Mike O'Keeffe we don't. Have seen him play for Canterbury Utd where he struggled in 2008 and 2009 but to be fair, was far too young for that level. Strange they are going with a keeper who plays in one of the less strong US college leagues, the MAAC , quite a way below the top NCAA leagues, over Marinovic who is part of Wiesbaden's first team squad in the German Third Division,  a comp miles ahead of the MAAC college league or the ASB Premiership. O'Keefe was a NZ u-17 rep in the same side as Chris Wood in Korea 2007 I think.

O'Keeffe played five times for Canty in the 2007-2008 National League and nine times in the 2008- 2009 comp.

Sadly he's mainly remembered here for conceding a lot of goals at Canty Utd. including the ignominy of a disasterous game vs. Waitakere on 20/1/08 at home when Canty lost 1-9 in their record defeat. Six of the nine goals were conceded after O'Keeffe came on as a sub on 52 mins...

He conceded 42 goals in his 14 games for Canterbury. He was much too young and inexperienced to be thrown into the National League at age 17 in what was Canterbury's worst National League period of the last decade...Danny Halligan got the shove and weas replaced by youth coach Koroush Monsef who favoured youth a bit too much...

Overseas players such as right fullback Liam Graham, about to turn 20, of Vicenza's youth team in the Italian Second Div. must consider themselves unlucky - just not on Emblen's radar probably.

Is the third teir of German football really "miles ahead" of the ASB Premiership? Agree Stefan Marinovic should have been there, but even above Scott Baslaj is a big call.

Yeah its odd - the general consensus is that the 3 best young kiwi keepers are Gleeson, Basalaj, and Marinovic. Where did this O'Keefe selection come from?

 

O`Keefe was in the squad at Taupo, Started one game I think

Might find all is not well for Liam Graham at Vicenza. The stay may not be long.

cryptic... is he a good enough RB for the A League perhaps?

Me thinks a definate no

gutted :(

 

I agree News. I don't really rate McGeorge or Feneridis (Feneridis is the better of the two of them yet McGeorge got the All White call up??). Both are more hatchett men for me. I would have thought Lindsey would offer more than these two...

Based on what? The reason he has to leave Vicenza's Primavera youth team is because he's about to turn 20 and it's an u-20 comp.

He's highly rated by Aussie observers (there's a few Aussies in Vicenza's youth team - a major source of overseas players for them since Paul Okon played there in the 90's).

If hes being let go then sign him up Ricki

Hang on.  He's playing yoof (not even first team) for a team in the third tier of Italian football.  That means he must be A-League quality?

Milne, Lindsay, Rowe, Payne all played yoof or ressiesfor Premier League sides.  I'm not anti bringing him in to have a look, but to suggest he should have walked a youth spot is a HUGE call.

Yes, the German Third Div. really is miles ahead of the ASB Premiership - that's confirmed by German friends who've seen both comps. They place the ASB Premiership as similar to an amateur regional league in Germany, the sort of club sides small towns of 50,000 or so population field.

The German Third Div. ("3. Bundesliga") is a fully pro national comp. perhaps of similar level to the third tier of English football, League One, or a bit better (Germany has a much larger population than England: 82 million compared to 49 million). Most sides in  League One in England would thrash our sides, so ditto for German Div. Three sides I'm afraid.

I thought the standard of the ASB Premiership was pretty poor the season just past - not much advancement since the 1990's and definitely not as good as the national league in the 70's and 80's. 

I'd have Marinovic there also based on being older (3 months off 21, compared to Basalaj recently turned 18) and more experienced (German Third Div. and U-20 World Cup Finals appearances in Colombia, compared to Basalaj capped at u-17 level only and ASB Premiership).

  

How many games has Marinovic played this season?

Vicenza is an Italian second tier club by the way... and a Serie A club not so long ago. Italian youth system, as England's does, has youth teams from Serie A and Serie B playing in the same comp., the "Primavera" which is broken into three regional groupings across Italy and then national play-offs. Liam Graham's side were playing against the youth teams of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Udinese, Chievo etc.

See details on Primavera:

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/primavera-b/startseite/wettbewerb_ITJ2.html

So actually equivalent to playing youth team for a Premier League club...

No one will know if Graham's any good without having a look at him - which is something I bet Emblen hasn't done.

Has he left Vicenza ??      If he was showing potential wouldn`t they extend his contract

Highly rated by Aussie observers.....you mentioned one quote from a messageboard, could be anyone

Fact: He did represent Auckland at U15 level at best a wider squad player

        Went to Italy and got a decent break

        Bought back to NZ relatively unseen for the U20 Oceania qualifiers and wasn`t used

        Didn`t make the cut for the World Cup Squad

        I have seen Liam play a fair bit over his teenage years, nice kid, solid player, at best NZ regional club standard.

Sauces say:

     Vicenza financially troubled, reducing playing staff to the point of forcing players out

 

No they're not.  They got relegated from Serie B.  They are now in the 3rd teir.

Yep, they were relegated this past season. And Graham's only a youth player there in the youth squad, nothing more. And you have to ask questions if as a 20-year old you've not been able to get anywhere near the senior squad, especially one that isn't abundant in quality and is struggling financially.

Also, as for Marinovic. He made 10 appearances for Wehen Wiesbaden II in this past season, and had 7 appearances on the bench. Wehen Wiesbaden II play in the Hessenliga in Germany (the highest football league in the German state of Hesse) and the current equivalent of the 5th tier of German football (top 3 divisions are national, 4th is regional, and the 5th tier is state, although there are a couple of exceptions). The 5th tier is generally speaking amateur.

So I'm not sure where this information of Marinovic playing at the third highest level of football in Germany is coming from, but it's certainly not true.

Why are are you talking about the 3. Bundesliga when that's not the competition that Marinovic plays in?

It's like the Liam Graham Serie B commentary.

Is one of three keepers in the first team squad in the Third Div, but not first choice (Michael Gurski aged 33 and team captain is no. 1) so he's been on the bench and played some games for the reserves from what I can make out.

Well, that's par for the course for goalies e.g Aussie Zeljko Kalac was reserve at AC Milan and still played for the Socceroos.

See official Wiesbaden site where Marinovic is definitely part of the first team:

http://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.svwehen-wiesbaden.de/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsv%2Bwiesbaden%26hl%3Den%26qscrl%3D1%26nord%3D1%26rlz%3D1T4GGHP_enNZ433NZ433%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D580%26prmd%3Dimvns&sa=X&ei=OL7jT8WYA8aQiQfAof2fCw&sqi=2&ved=0CFYQ7gEwAg

Played 10 times for the reserves (as with most first team keepers anywhere who are not first choice, anywhere except the Wellington Phoenix who don't have a reserve side, he's been appearing ocassionally for the reserves, but not a regular in that side):

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/stefan-marinovic/leistungsdaten/spieler_120619.html

The 3. Bundesliga, as the English Third Div., contains some quite recent top flight sides fallen on hard times such as Carl Zeiss Jena and Arminia Bielefeld, but differs from England in that the reserve teams of a handful of top Bundesliga sides like Bremen and Stuttgart also play in it. German reserve teams of top pro clubs are much stronger than English reserve teams and often play at a higher level than English reserve leagues. Wiesbaden's reserve side play in the Hesse state league but Marinovic is a first teamer who only plays ocassionally in it.

 

I suggest the standard of football he plays in would be equivalent to Isthmian Division One

But really the debate is  O`Keefe >Marinovic

Well, you'd call Aussie keeper Brad Jones a Liverpool Premiership keeper or a keeper with a  Premiership club even though he's only ever played three times for the Liverpool first team since signing in 2010. Rest of the time he's only been turning out for the reserves (except for 7 games on loan to Derby in the championship). Still a class keeper as he showed in his last performance in the FA Cup semi. Marinovic similar situation - two games in the first team in the 3. Bundesliga in a previous season.

That's the way it goes with keepers...only one in each playing side...

Just means Marinovic is rated by Wiesbaden as good enough for their Third Div. squad (he's a permanent first team squad member). They have other keepers who are regulars for the reserves or the u-23 side.

Jess van Stratten was with Verona and Juventus and spent 7 years in the top two divisions of Italian football and can't get an A-League gig now. 

How about Devonshire the ex-Man U yoof player that came out to Miramar and, y some peoples measurements should have been signed sight unseen by the Phoenix.  He was barely Central League standard.

Reserve and youth team make absolutely no guarantees of quality.

Tony Warner > Brad Jones     Stats suggest so... Spent more time at Liverpool

No, I'd call him a Liverpool keeper. But that's beside the point.

Marinovic has made two appearances for the Wehen Wiesbaden first team in the 3. Bundesliga. This was at the end of the 2009/2010 season (so, over two years ago) when the club hardly had a fit keeper and Marinovic was required to sit on the bench. He came on in one game after the starting keeper got injured, and started the next game. In those two games he conceded 7 goals, and has not made another first team appearance in the two years since.

 

For the past two seasons, he's played for the club's second team in the German equivalent of pub football, and in this past season he was on the bench for the second team 8 times (came on once, to give him 10 appearances overall along with 9 starts). So really, he's hardly established as the No. 1 keeper at the reserve team (and this is in an amateur league!!!), and clearly hasn't featured in the planning for the first team at all (was only on the bench for the first team once in the past two years). So if he's a 3. Bundesliga player, I'm Kim F**king Kardashian.

 

James Derbyshire. People here were screaming for the Nix to sign him as soon as he stepped off the plane, and in the end the guy couldn't make the Miramar first team.

You've got the Bum for it.

Distorting facts again !!

 

Sssshhhh....although mine is probably too hairy.

 

Or maybe not...

Rough -> Smooth

Ask Kris Humphries where that gets ya...

Fair enough re- all these comments above. Some good discussion here, hairy arses or no. Enjoy these debates. Is true playing overseas doesn't necessarily mean somone's an ace player (witness dross signed by NZ Knights and some of Ricki's more dodgy ones for the Nix too - mmm...Cleberson, Toto or Jiang...)

Only time will tell with young players - and goalies can have longer careers than most- so will be interesting to follow the career trajectories of all these players, named in the squad or not.

And then we can all dig up these quotes from this thread and throw them back at eachother in "told you so" vein..

One popular story doing the rounds back in the 1980's I remember, was that the NZ youth team coach told Wynton Rufer he'd never make it as a player....(was very undisciplined and a drinker and smoker in his teenage years apparently).

Or, in other words, "I'll be coaching".

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/7155270/Underdog-Oly-Whites-primed-for-challenge

WHAT WILL OUR OPPONENTS BE LIKE?

Ryan is realistic about our chances:

The Oly-Whites have been drawn in the same group as Belarus, Egypt and Brazil but Nelsen said it was "hard to get a handle on how good these teams are at this level''.

"But what we can expect is we'll be the under-dogs in every single game. It will be very tough, we'll be up against it. We'll be favourite to lose all three games but Kiwis like those challenges, we thrive on them.

"I think it will be a good experience and an opportunity to challenge yourself on the world stage against all the odds and we'll see what can happen.''

Compared to Emblen who is talking about making the second round and comes across as a little naive:

"It's a strong team for an Olympic Games," Emblen said. "There's definitely the ability there to progress through the tournament and I'm confident of success if we play like I've seen these players play."

I'm more with Ryan - it's unlikely we'll get any results, so don't expect too much and be pleasantly surprised if we get a point. Much like before the World Cup in S.A. (when no realistic supporter expected anything like three draws).

We'll be one of the worst prepared sides with only three friendlies from July 11 (very late to start preparing)- some have played dozens of friendlies over the last year. Most finalists see the u-23's as a useful chance to develop new players for their senior side and give it a lot of emphasis (except for Great Britain who have massive problems getting players released by clubs and are only playing two friendlies).

Excellent chance to see Egypt and Belarus (and teams we're playing in friendlies) in the French Toulon tournie last month. All games highlights here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2o00TNiJVU&feature=plcp

BELARUS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus_national_under-23_football_team

http://www.bff.by/sborn/molk/

Qualified a year ago by coming third in the UEFA u-21 Finals last June (UEFA allow players up to age 22 in their "u-21" tournaments and qualifiers as a compromise with the Olympics u-23 category). Belarus are regularly a top  country at u-21 level in Europe and have qualified for the UEFA u-21 Finals in 2004, 2009, 2011 (is held every two years).

Their youth strength is indicated by fact their u-19 team were runners-up to Russia u-21 in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Cup, an annual u-21 event, in January. Beat Ukraine u-21 in the semi-final. 

Qualified for the UEFA finals last year by finishing equal on top of their group with Scotland and finishing second on goal diff. , losing only once in 8 games. Progressed to the next qualifying round as the third best second-placed team of the ten groups behind Spain and England. Then beat Italy 3-2 on aggregate home and away (3-0; 0-2) to make the Finals.

UEFA u-21 Finals: Only 8 teams in two groups. 2nd place in their group behind Switzerland and ahead of Iceland and Denmark. Then straight to the semis where they scored early and lead Spain 1-0 until the 89th min. when Sp. equalised and won eventually after extra time. Beat Czech Repub. 1-0 in third- fourth play-off. (Spain champions, Switzerland runners-up)

Started their friendlies in prep. for the Olympics last September and have played every month since then, including 5/9/11 v Russia B, 15/11/11 v UAE senior side, 12/11/11 v Saudi Arabia u-23, 1/3/12 FC Ural (Rus. Div. 1), Belarus club sides, Kasakhstan senior side 1/5/12.

Toulon Tournament, France: Invited to participate in France's premier annual friendly youth tournament last month: 1-3 v France, 0-0 v Morocco, 1-2 v Mexico 

Belarus are also fortunate the qualifiers for the 2013 UEFA u-21 Finals are well underway and have fielded Olympic squad players in those games this year: Group includes Germany, Bosnia and Greece. 7 games played so far.

Belarus: pop. : 9.5 million; Language: Russian; senior team FIFA ranking: 69 (sandwiched between South Africa and Morocco); Euro 2012 qualifying: did well in a tough group, finishing one point behind Romania (France, Bosnia, Romania). Beat France away and drew at home. Have beaten Netherlands twice in 6 meetings since 1994.

Most Prominant Clubs: BATE Borisov, Dinamo Minsk. BATE: Breeding ground for most of the national team before they leave for bigger clubs  in Russia etc. Group stage Chmps Lge 2008- 2009, 2011-2012. Group stage Europa Lge. 2009-2010, 2010-2011  Chmps Lge 2009-2010: drew both games v Juventus, only lost 0-1 (H) and 0-2 (A) to Real Madrid. 2009-2010 Europa: beat Everton 1-0 away, beat AEK Athens 2-1 (H) 2-2 (A); 2010-2011 Europa: beat AZ Alkmaar 4-1 (H), made the knockout stage and only eliminated on away goals v Paris- Saint Germain (2 draws). 2011-2012 Chmps Lge: unlucky to have Barca and AC Milan in their group (drew 1-1 H v AC Milan).

Possible Players for Olympic Side: Over-age: Alexander Hleb (KSS, Russian Premier Lge, 31 years MF, former Stuttgart, Arsenal, Barcelona player) - won la Liga, Copa and Chmps Lge (2009), League Cup Birmingham 2011; Mikhail Sivakov (MF, Waregam, Belgium); Stanislaw Drahun (Dinamo Minsk).      Star u-23 player: Pavel Nyakhaychyk (Dynamo Moscow) - Chmps Lge experience, stand-out midfielder at the UEFA u-21 Finals. Most players otherwise come from the Belarus Lge.

vs Italy second leg qualifying play-off for u-21 Finals :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=M0KQBIM36mE&NR=1

vs. Iceland UEFA u-21 Finals (two parts):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewHcVn18YJ4&list=UUfbmKZ-dYkjiqIrIWfESn8w&index=10&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cITfY4YKywg&list=UUfbmKZ-dYkjiqIrIWfESn8w&index=9&feature=plcp

UEFA u-21 Semi vs. Spain highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94U-h7MnZaI

Toulon Tournament, France May 2012 - all teams video highlights here, incl. Belarus:

http://www.youtube.com/user/FUTBISION2/videos?query=toulon+2012

Various videos Belarus teams, incl. u-21's:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BelarusHighlights?feature=watch

EGYPT:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt_national_under-23_football_team

Video comp. of Egypt national sides highlights (5.30 mins):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIJ4DeTGRe0

Senior side FIFA ranking: 48 (between Tunisia and Gabon) Pop. : 83 million; Winner African Cup of Nations : 7 times (most) incl. 2006, 2008, 2010; Olympic Finals : 10th appearance 

Daily Telegraph (UK) : "could reach the quarterfinals."

Qualifying: Made it to the CAF (Africa) u-23 Finals Nov.- Dec. 2011, Morocco by beating Botswana and Sudan home and away March - June 2011. Topped their group in pool play in the finals (two groups of four) ahead of Gabon, Ivory Coast and South Africa. Straight to the semis: lost 2-3 to hosts Morocco. Beat Senegal 2-0 in third-fourth play-off. (Gabon beat Morocco 2-1 in the Final)

Big emphasis on youth development means Egypt have played the most u-23 games of all finalists for London: 35 competitive matches and friendlies to date since the current u-23's started their preparations for African qualifying with friendlies from July 2010.      P: 35  W: 20  D: 7  L: 8

Results in friendlies since CAF Finals in Dec.: 

21 February 2012:Romania U-23 D 1-1   ( Dubai, UAE);   24 February 2012:  Uzbekistan U-23 W 3-1   (Dubai, UAE);   28 February 2012:  Spain U-23 L 1-3    (Torrelavega, Spain);   13 March 2012:  Egypt (senior side) W 2-1   (Cairo , Egypt);   16 March 2012:  FC Basel[1]W 4-3   ( Basel, Switzerland);   19 April 2012:  Costa Rica U-23 W 1-0   ( Cartago,Costa Rica)   25 April 2012  Uruguay U-23 D 0-0 (Paysandu, Uruguay)

Toulon Tournament, France, May 2012:

23 May 2012:  Netherlands U-21 L 0-3 ;   25 May 2012:  Turkey U-23 D 1-1 ;   27 May 2012:  Japan U-23 W 3-2 

 Possible Players for Olympic Side: Over-age players: El Muhammady (MF, 24 yrs, Sunderland), Ahmed Said Okka (Lierse, Belgium), Doody El-Gabbas (Lierse, Belgium), Mohamad Zidan (Mainz, Germany), Ahmad Hassan (MF, Zamalek, 36 yrs, record 183 caps, long career in Turkey and Anderlecht, Belgium).                                                                                                                                            Star u-23 players: Ahmed Hegazy (CB, 20 yrs, Fiorentina, Italy), Mohamed Salah (FW, 20 yrs, FC Basel, Switzerland), Ahmed Hassan Mahgoub (FW, 19 yrs, Rio Ave, Portugal) 

Coach: Hany Ramzy, Wynton Rufer's team-mate at Werder Bremen early '90's.

Forthcoming friendlies: Arab Nations Cup starting this weekend (fielding their Olympic side) vs. Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon

July in Spain: vs. Italy, Mexico, Honduras, Switzerland u-23 sides.

        .Video of 2-3 semi loss to Morocco, CAF Finals: 53 mins extended highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C641-MdsvC0&feature=related

1st half shorter highs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci3Tx-eiN50&feature=channel&list=UL

2nd half highs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=GV4K5pmLUqE&feature=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNYFcQVieHE&feature=related

Video of 2-0 victory v Senegal CAF Finals third- fourth play-off:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so7p6wHEzV8

Toulon Tournament France May 2012 - all teams highlights here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/FUTBISION2/videos?query=toulon+2012

Egypt senior side v Brazil 3-4 Confeds Cup South Africa June 2009 (53 mins extended highlights) - great game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=iGyRLKBPa-4

BRAZIL OLYMPIC SIDE: See my previous postings here (p. 24 of thread):

http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/forums/all-whites-and-other-nz-international-teams/new-zealand-u-23s-olympics?page=23

Forget about Brazil they will walk this group. Belarus will play the European way and bully their way through playing a very flexible 451 formation packed with big strong midfielders. One hope though for the Oly Whites will be the Belarus 'keeper, as with most former Soviet nations stoppers, is pretty weak. Egypt will probably line up in a traditional 442 formation wanting to get the ball out wide. NZ have a great chance of reaching the knock out stages if they do their homework on Belarus & Egypt. As for the squad announcement, great spine to the team with Nelsen-McGlichey-Smeltz down the centre, but I think it depends what system we play. It should be 4141 against Brazil and then 4411 against the other two, even be a bit more adventurous and go 442? Rojas and Hogg on the left excite me and I hope Hoggy does well to earn a pro deal somewhere. The one thing that worries me though is the GK position, from watching the ONC games I didn't rate Gleeson one bit and O'Keeffe doesn't have much experience. I'm surprised Glen Moss wasn't selected as an overage player?

 

I agree with Jeff.  So who do we have to hope has a hamstring injury and can't partake so Lindsay can step in?   I kinda feel if we have pro players who fit the bill for Under 23 then they should be playing ahead of amateurs.  Isn't this why a number of players have had to make way for Smith, Rojas, Wood, Kosta, Payne and Howieson?

 

 

EGYPT (OLYMPIC) V SUDAN (SENIOR), ARAB NATIONS CUP: 1-1 draw this morning (NZ time)

Egypt have entered their Olympic side against the senior sides in this tournament held in Saudi Arabia.

For next game v Iraq ( 27 June 21.00 Saudi time/ Thurs. 28, 6am NZ time) and last pool match v Lebanon (30 June 16.45 Saudi time/ July 1st 2.45am NZ time)

Live streaming links here:

http://nilesports.com/news/?cat=3

http://www.nilesports.tv/modern-sports-tv.htm

http://www.albrq.net/5291.html

Tournament results updated regularly here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Arab_Nations_Cup

http://www.scorespro.com/soccer/international/arab-nations-cup/

 

Egypt are coached by Wynton Rufer's former Werder Bremen team-mate Hany Ramzy:

 

EGYPT’S OLYMPIC TEAM DETERMINED TO WIN THE ARAB CUP

Published on June 21, 2012 by Nile Sports · No Comments<!--Ad Injection mfunc mode ad include code--><!--mfunc--><!--/mfunc-->

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Egypt’s U-23 side are determined to win the Arab Cup, says coach Hany Ramzy
Egypt’s under-23 team are looking to win the Arab Cup to get a psychological boost before playing in the London Games, Hany Ramzy said on Wednesday.

Egypt’s first game will be on Sunday, the match will be live on: www.NileSports.tv

Egypt’s Olympic side will play in the regional tournament instead of the national senior team as they gear up for the London Games, where they were drawn in Group C that also includes Brazil, Belarus and New Zealand.

”We are eying the Arab Cup title, which will benefit us psychologically,” coach Ramzy told Ahram Online on Wednesday.

Egypt will play in Group C against Iraq, Sudan and Lebanon. The tournament starts on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Ramzy denied rumors indicating that he fell out with Egypt boss Bob Bradley over the call-up of some players.

Reports said Ramzy was angry after Bradley refused to release goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shennawi to play in the Arab Cup.

“There is a complete coordination between the two technical staffs. The Pharaohs are waiting for a crucial game against Central Africa and we must support them in this critical phase,” the former Egypt defender added.

Egypt are facing an uphill task to reach next year’s African Cup of Nations in South Africa. They will have to overturn a 3-2 first-leg deficit when they face Central Africa in Bangui on 30 June.

Ramzy also said he will reveal the names of the three over-age players who will take part in the Olympics at the end of this month.
Zamalek striker Amr Zaki and Haras El-Hodoud forward Ahmed Eid are already included in the Olympic team squad for the Arab Cup.

Egypt Olympic 1 v Iraq (senior) 2 this morning. Egypt opened scoring on 45 m. but conceded two in the second half.

Group Table: 1. Iraq 6 pts 2. Sudan 4 pts 3. Egypt 1 pt 4. Lebanon 0 pts

Group winner and best second-placed team of the three groups progress to semis. Egypt would have to win well v Lebanon on Sun. morning NZT.