By Gilbert Wandera In Cairo

Sayed Hamdi scored a brace as Egypt trounced Uganda Cranes 3-1 in the final match of the Nile Basin football tournament on Monday night.

His first goal came towards the end of the first half before notching the second 18 minutes from time to take his scoring tally in the seven-nation competition to six goals. Mohammed Geddo hit the third for the Pharaohs on 82 minutes.

Caesar Okhuti scored for Uganda Cranes through a penalty, but it was not enough to help them against a determined Egyptian side.

Just like when the two sides met last week, the Cranes were determined to get something from the match and showed intent and purpose, holding out against the mighty Pharaohs for long periods.

Frustration seem to have been getting the better of the Egyptians as they came against a determined Ugandan side giving them no room to string their lethal passes.

Uganda had an early scare when Mohamed Abdel-Rasek Shikabala dipped in a high ball with strikers Ahmed Bilal and scorer Saidi Hamdi lurking but Hamza Muwonge in goal kept it at bay.

The Cranes had a chance to take the lead after 23 minutes when defender Godfrey Walusimbi beat two Egyptian defenders on the left but could only put the ball behind striker Patrick Edema.

Then Shikabala spotted Muwonge off his line and sent in a fierce shot but it could only brush off the crossbar.

Egypt coach Mohamed Shehata (left) with his technical staff during the Nile Basin Tournament final against Uganda on Monday. Egypt won 3-1. [PHOTO: GILBERT WANDERA/STANDARD]

The Cranes attempts to come back after recess were all but over when substitute Mohamed Gedo crossed for Saidi to net his and Egypt’s second on 70 minutes. Despite losing the final, Uganda emerged as the most successful east African team in the competition and had many fans praising their mode of play.

Kenya coach Zedekiah Otieno termed them the most organised team apart from hosts Egypt and pointed out that they were ready for this competition.

"It seems the Cranes were well prepared for this event and have shown it all especially to their neighbors," he said.

Otieno impressed

As the tournament wound-up on Monday, Kenyan coach Zedekiah Otieno said he was impressed by the performance of his team despite finishing fourth.

Otieno said they had lost to worthy opponents in the competition and have no regrets and believes he has during the two weeks built a strong squad that can represent the country well.

"We lost to Egypt and Congo which are very strong sides on the continent. It would have been bad to lose to the likes of Tanzania or Burundi and so we are happy with our performance here," he told FeverPitch.

He once again urged football managers back home to build on the success of this competition and maintain continuity in the side.

Egypt maintained a 100 percent record of wins in the competition. They hit Kenya and Tanzania 5-1 and hammered Burundi 3-0.

They had earlier won 1-0 against Uganda Cranes in the preliminaries of the competition.

The tournament was organised to cement relations among countries along the Nile Basin.

Kenya ended with Sh4 million for finishing in fourth position.