Tag: Egypt

Cameroon claim first AFCON title in 15 years with brilliant late winner

A goal worthy of a trophy


Cameroon came back from 1–0 down to Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations final to win 2–1 on a skillful display from substitute Vincent Aboubakar in the 88th minute. Aboubakar, who came on at halftime, chested down a long pass, looped the ball over the head of a defender, and placed a bouncing volley into the far side of the net to give Cameroon their fifth AFCON title and first since 2002.

https://streamable.com/qlwoq

Winning the tournament this year was a particularly impressive achievement for the Indomitable Lions as seven notable inclusions in their 35-man provisional squad declined to participate (Liverpool defender Joel Matip, Nancy goalkeeper Guy N’dy Assembe, Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana, West Brom defender Allan Nyom, Bordeaux defender Maxime Poundje, Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou, and Marseille midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa).

Perhaps because of these controversial absences, Cameroon got off to a shaky start in the tournament, drawing 1–1 with eventual semifinalists Burkina Faso in their first match, coming from behind to beat Guinea-Bissau 2–1 in their second, then drawing 0–0 with Gabon in their third to finish second in Group A. In the quarterfinals, they edged out Senegal in a penalty shootout after 120 scoreless minutes. But in the semifinals, they finally established themselves, beating Ghana 2–0.

Egypt, meanwhile, did not concede a single goal until their semifinal against Burkina Faso, thanks to the stellar form of 44-year-old goalkeeper Essam El Hadary. And after Mohamed Elneny opened the scoring in the final with a goal in the 22nd minute, they looked almost certain to win their eighth AFCON title.

https://whatahowler.com/oldest-player-in-africa-cup-of-nations-history-helps-egypt-reach-the-final-2b0335ff6147

But Nicolas N’Koulou equalized for Cameroon in the 59th minute and Aboubakar stunned Egypt shortly before full time to pull off the upset by scoring twice as many goals in one half as Egypt conceded in the rest of the tournament all together, earning a place in the Confederations Cup.

It’s hard not to wonder what those seven players who refused to take part in this wonderful experience must be feeling right now, especially when Matip played the full 90 minutes of Liverpool’s 2–0 loss to Hull City the day before. Cameroon manager Hugo Broos wasn’t feeling too sorry for them, though.

From ESPNFC:

“There was a lot of trouble before, players who wouldn’t come with us,” Broos said after Sunday’s 2–1 win over Egypt.

“OK, it’s their decision. But maybe they are saying now to themselves, ‘S — -! Why didn’t I go with them?’”

Life can be punishing.


https://upscri.be/16bb19/

Oldest player in Africa Cup of Nations history helps Egypt reach the final

40-something goalkeepers are so hot right now


At Euro 2016, 40-year-old Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly emerged as a cult hero, beloved for his age, his sweatpants, and his undiminished skill. Hungary provided a shock by winning their group before getting blown out by Belgium in the round of 16, but Kiraly had his moment in the sun and, at the time, it seemed that was all a player of such advanced age could hope for. But now along comes 44-year-old Essam El Hadary of Egypt—with his short sleeves and full head of hair—who went over 10 hours of play without conceding a goal and has his team in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

https://whatahowler.com/when-egypt-set-a-pair-of-tournament-records-at-the-cup-of-nations-8a79d7af1587

El Hadary handily beat the tournament’s previous record for oldest player, set by former teammate Hossam Hossan in 2006, who was a sprightly 39 years old. But becoming the answer to a trivia question and making a few saves wasn’t good enough for El Hadary. He kept a clean sheet in each of the first four matches he played and didn’t concede a goal until Burkina Faso scored in the 73rd minute of the semifinal. He then made up for this by saving two consecutive penalties in the ensuing shootout to put Egypt in the final

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Again, this man is 44 years old. He began his international career in 1996. That’s a year before his youngest teammate, Ramadan Sobhi, was born.

El Hadary has already won the Africa Cup of Nations four times and has been named to the team of the tournament three times, so he isn’t some late bloomer finally making his mark on the international stage before triumphantly slipping into retirement. In 2012, Didier Drogba named El Hadary his “best opponent.” And if you think he’s doing this as a last hurrah of sorts, you don’t know how wrong you are. He’s already thinking about playing at the 2018 World Cup.

From Eurosport:

“I will fight to reach the World Cup,” he told reporters. “I don’t care about my age; I train like I am 20 years old.”

So I guess in 2018, he’ll be training like a 21/22 year old and just coming into his own. By 2030 he’ll really be at the top of his game. Look out.


https://upscri.be/16bb19/