Egypt Are CAN 2008 Winners

Cameroon 0 - 1 Egypt

Egypt deserved their win in Accra, but Cameroon - who had held out well for the most part - eventually only fell victim to a simply suicidal goal...

Egypt are the 2008 champions of Africa after defending their 2006 title and lifting the hallowed trophy for a record sixth time.

After over 75 goalless minutes, Egypt finally managed the strike that they deserved on the balance of play, but one that came in such strange circumstances.

It was dreadfully ironic - not least for Rigobert Song - that in a tournament so laden with brilliant strikes and wonder-goals, that the most decisive clash of all would be settled not by attacking genius, but by opportunism and an absolute howler from Cameroon stopper Song.

To start with, though, things were slightly more even.

Within two minutes, Cameroon had pressed forward twice, with Eto'o blasting a header over the bar from close range after Geremi's fine cross, with the referee seeing no deflection off an Egyptian defender.

Egypt tried to hit on the break soon afterwards, but all too often their first touch let them down in the final third.

Mbia conceded a free kick six minutes in after a foul on Abou Trika just outside the box, and it looked as if Espanyol 'keeper Carlos Kameni was about to face his first test. This he did, but the stopper held Hosny's effort well.

Kameni had to be on guard again to keep Moawad's admittedly weak effort out seconds later. and Abou Trika had another effort palmed wide 12 minutes in.

Alex Song had to limp off with an injury on the quarter-hour, with Binga coming on, necessitating a reshuffle in the midfield.

It was an afternoon of long-range efforts, with Geremi clipping a free-kick goalwards from 25 yards, only for El Hadary to save, albeit without confidence.

Then, on the break, poor defending and some fine teamwork saw Motab go one-on-one, only for Kameni to save. Abou Trika then inexplicably blasted the rebound over the bar.

Egypt's play had been nervy all over the pitch, but as the 20 minute mark came and went, they began to rediscover their structured approach to the game, and thus appeared more secure both with and without the ball. Chatto had to be at his best on more than one occasion to halt these attacks with a last-ditch challenge.

Cameroon, meanwhile, couldn't find the final ball, with Emana of particular culpability when he fluffed a great chance to play Eto'o through on goal on the break.

After a spell of midfield play, Eto'o eventually did receive a through ball, albeit one that he had to take around Shady Mohamed. From his acute angle out on the left, he could only drill a shot wide of the far post.

Then came the best chance of the game so far. A tremendous ball over the top found Motab one-on-one with Kameni, only for the forward to hit the ball straight at the 'keeper. The rebound came the striker's way, too, but a timely intervention saw the chance disappear.

As the half wore on, it became increasingly cagey, with Egypt's long-range efforts now either flying over the bar or straight into Kameni's hands. As such, it was no surprise when the half ended 0-0, with the most notable moments being injuries, necessitating plenty of stoppage time in the heat of the afternoon.

After the break, Amr Zaki came close down the left, only for his narrow-angled effort to be parried and then cleared by Cameroon. The break displayed the Indomitable Lions' woes, as even though they managed to get the ball forward, Eto'o was without support, and was fortunate to even get a corner.

Egypt then enjoyed their own spell of corners at the other end, and one of these eventually culminated in a superb long-range shot that left Kameni, unsighted, scrambling to save.

The Pharoahs were beginning to dominate the midfield play, although a lack of a final ball was still letting them down, most of all when Motab should have found the unmarked Abou Trika in the box, but blasted his cross far too hard.

Motab then came off for Zidan, with the Egyptians intent on changing the game - and they so nearly did.

Hosny very, very nearly managed to break the deadlock with a powerful header - admittedly born of poor defending - but with Kameni nowhere, his far-post effort smacked off the post.

M'Bami came on for Epalle, joining Idrissou (on for Emana) to become the Lions' third sub, and Cameroon had to use what they had.

But the pace of the game was starting to decline, with only speculative crosses to Idrissou really rousing the crowd. Admittedly, one was a fine ball in from M'Bami, but the Duisburg man could only sky his header.

Then, incredibly, Cameroon threw it all away.

More accurately, Rigobert Song did. The defender, the former champion, the father, the emblematic captain, threw it all away.

Inexplicably, he dallied on the ball under pressure from Zidan, failing to snuff out an Egyptian counter. The Hamburg man, winning the ball with a tremendous show of strength, managed to play the ball across the edge of the box for the onrushing Abou Trika, who gratefully side-footed home into an empty net. Egypt deserved their win on the balance of play, but what a way to get it!

Cameroon had to think fast, but their cross on the break soon after conceding was easily gathered by the rock-steady Al Hadari.

They could feel hard-done-by a few seconds later as, right on the edge of the box, Eto'o and Shady both went up for the ball, with the Barcelona striker's overhead kick seeing the ball hit Shady's hand. The referee promptly gave a free-kick against Cameroon, presumably for high feet. Regardless of what it was for, the Lions' players and coach alike were disgusted.

Cameroon then managed to split the defence with some good passing play down the right, with M'Bia being able to get the shot on, only for El-Hadari to push it to safety.

Egypt had begun to show a bit of nerves, sitting back on the edge of the area, as Cameroon enjoyed their only truly creative spell in the game. However, even with corners they were unable to test the 'keeper overmuch, and Egypt set themselves up for the counter.

Here, they were caught offside as stoppage time began, betraying the level to which Cameroon had pushed forward. Yet again, though, there was no end product.

Egypt deserved their win. After a somewhat rushed and tetchy start, they regained the shape that has made them so tough to beat - and sometimes so impressive on the attack - throughout this tournament.

M'bia did well to hold up the ball in the box and try a snapshot with 90 seconds to go, but he could only sky his effort wide as the exhausted Cameroonians threw the dice.

Rigobert Song had the chance to become a hero just seconds from the end, but the captain - inevitably - could only head over the bar. The game was over.

Cameroon, meanwhile, were second-best for most of the game, but arguably didn't deserve to lose like this. When "real" chances came their way, they dealt with them. But if one gives away gilt-edged chances against champions, one cannot be surprised when they take them.

CAN 2008 Preview: Cameroon - Egypt

CAN 2008 Preview: Cameroon - Egypt

What: African Cup of Nations, Group C
Who: Cameroon vs. Egypt
When: Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 17:00 GMT
Where: Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi

At exactly 17:00 GMT, all soccer enthusiasts’ eyes will be directed to the Baba Yara Stadium ground in Kumasi to witness a clash of two major African powerhouses battling it out. It's a match between the mighty Pharaohs (Egypt) and the Indomitable Lions (Cameroon), kicking off Group C.

With the memories of the World Cup 2006 qualifiers defeat from Egypt, which cost Cameroon a place in the finals, still fresh in the minds of the Lions, they’ll be looking forward to this encounter to try and take back a piece of their pride.

They'll also look to kick off the group stages in the tournament with a win to send a message to all teams that Cameroon are on their way for a record matching fifth title, with only Egypt having won that many times so far.

Egypt, title holders and record breaking five times CAN champions, still lingering with memories of winning their beloved trophy on home soil last time around, will be looking forward to this game to prove any doubters wrong.

Home advantage counts for a lot in tournaments like these, but the Pharoahs will want to send out a message tto the effect that it's not just because they played on home turf that they won the cup last time, but because they’re that good.

History aside, Tuesday’s clash between the two giants should produce some football of the highest quality as both teams will try to kick off their campaign with a win, which according to common statistics and mere logic, should grant the winners here a place in the next round.

Egypt prepared for the tournament by playing three friendlies against Namibia, Mali, and Angola, beating Namibia and Mali and drawing against Angola, though history shows that its not how you play in friendlies, its how you cope with the pressures of the big games. The vibe coming from the Egyptian camp is all full of hope and edginess even though Egyptian stars Mido and Hossam Ghaly are missing from the squad; quite unlike the vibe coming from Egyptian fans, who in turn fear the worst in spite of Egypt having very talented players.

Hassan Shehata, Egypt’s Manager, usually adopts a 4-4-2 formation which transpires into a 4-3-3 according to the match progression, but it is very likely that he’ll use a 3-5-2 in Tuesday’s game to try to add depth in the midfield to overcome Cameroon’s powerful midfield surges, thus preventing balls to their main threat, Eto’o.

Egypt’s talents include the likes of Al Ahly’s Mohamed Abu Treika, one of Africa’s most famous and best players, veteran Anderlecht Belgian Silver Boot winner Ahmed Hassan, Hamburg’s Mohamed Zidan, Emad Met’eb - who scored a hatrick in the Angola friendly - and debatably Africa’s best goal keeper Essam El Hadary, among many others, who in turn will be looking to help Egypt lift their sixth African Cup in their history.

Otto Pfister, the Cameroon coach, will be pulling up his sleeves using the massive knowledge of Egyptian culture and playing styles, having managed Al Zamalek in Egypt for a couple of years, to try and write of the champions.

Usually adopting a 4-4-2 formation, and with a massive crop of talented players with the likes of Reading’s Andre Bikey, Arsenal’s young gun Alex Song, Lille’s Jean Makoun, and veteran Geremi all available to bolster and strengthen that midfield, Pfister will be hoping that Cameroon and Barcelona superstar Samuel Eto’o is sharp enough to bag those goals. If everything goes as planned, will increase Cameroon’s chances of firstly winning the match against Egypt, and secondly stepping up to lift that trophy once more.

It should be a close battle between the midfielders, but as to whether Eto’o’s pace and knack for goals may prove too much for the Egyptian defenses and El Hadary, or Abu Treika could orchestrate Egypt’s dominance, only time will tell.

TEAM NEWS:

EGYPT:

Egypt were given a right scare after main goalkeeper Essam El Hadary twisted his ankle in training yesterday, and he's in doubt for Tuesday’s match.

Another important loss for the Egyptian team is team captain Ahmed Hassan, who’s out for two matches due to gaining two yellow cards.

Emad Met’eb is also in doubt for the game after complaining from neck pain, but is likely to feature in the game.

Amr Zaki who recovered from a minor head concussion suffered in the Mali friendly is also available.

Other than that, all other players are available for selection, with Wael Gomaa and Shadi Mohamed leading the defenses, and Shawky dominating the midfield.

Mido and Hossam Ghaly are both out of the African Nations squad, so they’re not available.

Squad From:

Essam al-Hadary (Al-Ahly), Mohamed Monsef (Zamalek)Mahmoud Fathallah (Zamalek), Tarek al-Sayed (Zamalek), Sayed Moawad, Hani Saied (Ismailia), Shady Mohamed (Al-Ahly), Ahmed Fathi (Al-Ahly), Wael Gomaa (Al-Siliya), Ahmed al-Muhammadi (ENPPI), Omar Gamal (Ismailia), Hosni Abd Rabou (Ismailia), Mohamed Aboutraika (Al-Ahly), Hassan Mostafa (Al-Wehda), Mohamed Shawky (Middlesbrough),Mohamed Fadl (Ismailia), Emad Moteab (Al-Ahly), Amr Zaki (Zamalek), Mohamed Zidan (Hamburg)

CAMEROON:

Pfister should have all his players available for selection, and thus will opt for the strongest possible XI, with Kameni, Eto’o and Makoun all making the starting line up. An attacking formation is expected.

Samuel Eto'o has recently returned to the Barcelona lineup but questions linger over his match sharpness. However, those fears should prove unfounded, as he's had long enough to prepare for the tournament.

Captain Rigobert Song should marshall the back line.

Squad From:

Kameni (Espanyol), Hamidou Souleymanou (Denizlispor, Rigobert Song (Galatasaray), Andre Bikey (Reading), Timothee Atouba (Hamburg), Bill Tchato (Qatar Sport), Benoit Angbwa (Saturn), Gilles Augustin Binya (Benfica), Geremi (Newcastle United), Alexandre Song (Arsenal), Achille Emana (Toulouse), Jean Joel Epalle (Vfl Bochum), Jean Makoun (Lille), Landry Nguemo (Nancy), Modeste Mbami (Olympique Marseille), Paul Tchamba Essola (Arsenal Kiev), Stephane Mbia Etoundi (Stade Rennes), Alain Nkong (Atlente), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona), Bertin Tomou (Excelsior Mouscron), Mohamadou Idrissou (MSV Duisburg), Joseph Desire Job (Nice)

Players to Watch:

EGYPT:

Amr Zaki- Although Mohamed Abu Treika would be the right off number one threat for the Egyptian team when in the right form, it’s Amr Zaki who’ll be grabbing the headlines in this tournament after a major overhaul in his abilities over the past two years and is likely to be Egypt’s top scorer.

CAMEROON:

Samuel Eto’o- When you’ve got a player of Eto’o’s caliber, you just can’t ignore him, and rightly so. One of the best goal scorers ever to grace the continent, Eto’o dazzled football fanatics both in club and country for the past 4 years, and is likely to do so here, given that he remains free of injury.

PREDICTION:

Prepare yourself for one massive game. Two major forces in African football history battling out for first place in Group C, I’m expecting some flying tackles, real end to end stuff in this game with the winner being the team who’ll grab that lone chance in front of goal. A real close battle, but I’m predicting Cameroon will edge out Egypt in the nearest of margins.

Final Score: Egypt 1 – 2 Cameroon

Mohamed Seif