Cairo erupted with joy Thursday night after the Egyptian national football team defeated bitter rivals Algeria by 4-0 in a Cup of African Nations semi-final match.
"We finally got our dignity back after our earlier loss to Algeria," shouted one enthusiastic fan.
Ecstatic fans poured through the capital’s streets waving flags and honking car horns in celebration of the victory, which took on special significance because of Algeria’s defeat of Egypt in November’s World Cup qualifying matches.
Crowds of men, women and children turned Tahrir Square, a central traffic point in downtown Cairo, into an impromptu carnival. Revelers beat on drums as men and women danced on top of cars and crowds clapped encouragement. Fireworks of varying sizes were shot into the air from the streets of downtown as flags and banners were paraded in circles. Young men shot flames into the air from aerosol cans, much to the crowd’s excitement. The atmosphere was pure euphoria.
“There are no words to describe how happy we Egyptians are tonight,” said one young man in Tahrir Square before grabbing his friend’s hand and running off to dance in front of oncoming traffic.
But there was also a sober side to Egypt’s triumph, marked by quieter sighs of relief.
“It’s about more than just winning,” said one ecstatic fan celebrating the victory in the street in Agouza neighborhood, with friends. “Today will be remembered as the day Egypt got over its ‘Algeria complex.’ Now that we’ve finally put them in their place, we can look forward to a new era.”
Egypt and Algeria have been enemies on the pitch since a 1989 World Cup qualifying match ended in blood after Egypt won. The longstanding rivalry was whipped into a frenzy last November when the two teams squared off to decide who would go to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Algerian team accused Egyptians of attacking their bus when they entered Cairo for the match, while Egyptians accused Algerians of attacking Egyptian fans after the last match in Khartoum.
Not everyone seemed ready to move forward on Thursday.
Within minutes of the final whistle, several fans watching the game in the Boursa area of downtown Cairo lit on fire homemade Algerian flags and proceeded to stomp on them as the crowd cheered them on. Groups chanting expletives directed at Algeria were audible throughout central Cairo all night.
After the November World Cup qualifying match, angry Egyptian fans protested outside the Algerian embassy in Zamalek, with some going as far as to smash windows of local businesses.
Security was tight around the Algerian embassy after Thursday night’s game, with a large police presence in the vicinity of the embassy and many nearby Zamalek streets blocked.
For many, the withering victory more than compensated for the Egyptian national team’s earlier failure to qualify for the World Cup.
"I feel much better now," said 28-year-old Salah Abdel Qader, corporate purchaser and avid football fan, who lives in the upscale neighborhood of Maadi. "I didn’t expect this result. I was delighted by the excellent game played by the Egyptian team."
Tensions had reportedly run high in advance of the match, which was played in the Angolan city of Benguela. During the game, two Algerian players received red cards, including Algerian goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi.
