Alexandria, Egypt, March 25, 2005 – Tournament favourites Egypt beat Cameroon in a four-set classic 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-21) to collect their second victory in as many games at the 2006 Men’s World Championship second round tournament (Africa Pool B), leaving them needing just one more victory going into the final day on Saturday to claim a 2006 Men’s World Championship final round ticket.

Friday’s other result saw RD Congo beat Sudan 3-1 (22-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-22) for their first win of the tournament.

In the contest between the two unbeaten sides of the tournament Egypt proved too strong for Cameroon, with a superior attack and better organized defence.
Pic: Egyptian fans are ecstatic with their sides win over Cameroon on day two
“I expected this game to be tough so I told my players to be very serious from the start,” Egyptian coach Veselin Vukovic said. “We didn't play well in the first set but we improved a lot in the second and third sets and things became easier in the fourth set.

“I appreciated the effort of my more experienced players, particularly Hamdy Elsafy and setter Maged Moustafa, not only for their excellent playing form but also for their leadership. Actually they were my eyes in the field.”

Meanwhile Cameroon coach Blaise Mayam blamed his side’s defeat on their poor reception of service.

“Our reception was the most important drawback in our game today and the main cause of losing the match,” Mayam said. “But Ahmed Salah was also in purely inspirational for Egypt.

“I think we will improve in the future if we manage to gather the team together more frequently. We want to inject new blood to replace the older players.”

In the match between the two teams yet to win a game the much-improved RD Congo side came from one set down to clinch their first win of the tournament in a four-set thriller over Sudan.

Day three of the 2006 Men’s World Championship second round tournament (Africa Pool B), where the winner will book a spot in final round in Japan, on Saturday sees Cameroon take on RD Congo in the first match followed by Egypt’s important clash with winless Sudan.