African Cup of Nations 2008: Cameroon vs Egypt – The Final

It began with a burst of colour, song and dance. People cheered and admired the entertainment on offer. The longing anticipation only added to the fervour, for in Ghana it had been a long time coming. There were roars of approval, cacophonies of laughter and a hubbub of enthusiastic noise. You could feel the electricity in the Accra air. And that was just the opening ceremony. Then Sulley Muntari stepped up and belted in a 25-yard screamer. Like a slap in the face, that thunderbolt of a strike announced the arrival of the African Cup of Nations 2008, and at that point you suspected that, just maybe, something special was afoot. Now after three quite mesmerizing weeks we come to the grand finale.

Two of the most successful countries in African football history go head-to-head in Accra on Sunday as holders Egypt take on Cameroon in the 26th African Cup of Nations final. Three weeks of thrilling football, exciting goals and carnival atmospheres have passed and now, at the business end of the tournament, this game will finally determine who goes home with the crown of Africa’s finest. In a rematch of the opening game in Group C it is either Pharaohs or Indomitable Lions that will hold their heads high on Sunday evening as North take on West for the ultimate prize in African football. The stakes could hardly be higher.

Route to the Final

Cameroon

Cameroon began the tournament with a 4-2 defeat to their opponents in the final, Egypt. Particularly lacklustre in the first half, Otto Pfister’s side looked sharper in the second period but by then the damage had already been done and Egypt took the points. Little did the sides know then that the battle lines had only just been drawn, and they would go on to meet in far more important circumstances later.

The defeat left the Lions needing to rack up points against both Zambia and Sudan for a place in the quarter finals. This they did with little trouble, beating Zambia 5-1 and the Nile Crocodiles 3-0. Samuel Eto’o broke a personal milestone in becoming the Cup of Nations’ highest goalscorer of all time, beating Laurent Pokou’s record. In truth though the Cameroonians did not look at their best and were more functional than enthralling. Geremi weighed in with a worthy contribution while offering his usual prowess from free kicks, Achille Emana impressed, and in Alexander Song, coach Otto Pfister found an emerging star. He held the midfielder together excellently, relegating Jean Makoun to the bench. Cameroon finished on six points, second in the group.

In the quarter finals the Lions were paired with Tunisia. In an action-packed game the Tunisians came from 2-0 down to force extra time but Stephane Mbia’s extra time strike secured the victory and moved them into the semi finals where they faced Ghana. There, in a game full of tension, a defensively sound Cameroon remained composed and, with a counter-attacking goal of breathtaking speed and quality found the breakthrough in the 70th minute – Alain Nkong the scorer. Heartbreaking as it was for the hosts, they would bow out of the competition as the energy, strength and organisation of Pfister’s side saw the Lions through.

Egypt

As mentioned earlier, Egypt beat Cameroon in the opening group game. Mohamed Zidan introduced himself to the tournament with two wonderful goals, but injury has since hindered his impact on the competition. The Pharaohs went on without him though and followed that up with a 3-0 win over Sudan in a hotly contested derby. Mohamed Aboutreika and Hosni Abd Rabou stood out, demonstrating an impressive ability to dictate the tempo of a match through the midfield. Merely a prelude of the games to come. Aboutreika also made a name for himself but in controversial circumstances, unveiling a ‘Sympathy for Gaza’ t-shirt after scoring Egypt’s second. He earned a booking and a warning from FIFA for his actions.

After a 1-1 draw with Zambia in what was really more of a formality, coach Hassan Shehata and his men moved on to the quarter finals where they took on Angola. In a fine, well balanced game Egypt held on for a 2-1 victory with a penalty from Hosni and a rather fortuitous goal off the chest of an unwitting Amr Zaki. Nonetheless, in the second half of that match Egypt showed just why they are so strong, with a remarkable display of possession football that ruthlessly sucked the life out of the less experienced Angolans. Solid in defence and finely tuned as a unit, the North Africans began to demonstrate just why they are the current champions.

The true test was yet to come though, as they took on the all-conquering Côte d’Ivoire in the semi finals. Surely they could not stop the Elephants from trampling their way to the final, could they? Few gave them hope. But in what was arguably the game of the tournament, Egypt blew away their opponents in a 4-1 thrashing that sent shockwaves throughout Africa.

With the precision of a surgeon, Shehata masterminded an incredible result against the side they also beat in the 2006 final. After Ahmed Fathi’s twelfth minute goal the Pharaohs were measured enough to stifle their opponents and restrict them to few chances whilst picking them off with some exciting, one-touch football full of guile and flair. Whenever Côte d’Ivoire did manage to forge a chance, the excellent Essam El-Hadari kept them out with a goalkeeping performance of the highest quality. A one-handed reflex save from Didier Drogba with the score still at 1-0 will surely go down as the save of the tournament. As Aboutreika pulled the strings and the game wore on, Egypt eventually put the Elephants to the sword and booked their place in the final. They go into the game as favourites.

The Final

Talk before the final has focussed on Cameroon’s revenge mission as they look to put behind them the 4-2 defeat back in January and lift the trophy for the fifth time – a feat that would equal the record held by none other than Egypt. Pharaohs coach Hassan Shehata has tried to use this to hi
s advantage. “Cameroon are a big team, but we’ve already beaten them in this tournament and that is a good sign for us to produce a good result on Sunday. All my players are motivated, they want to keep the title to prove that we are truly the champions of Africa,” he said.

Despite that defeat Otto Pfister, one of the more entertaining characters of the competition, remains positive. “We’ve progressed match by match. Perhaps we started badly but we always know how to react.” The time for talk is nearly over however, and one of these coaches will lift the trophy on Sunday. Were it to be Shehata he would go down as only the second coach ever to win back-to-back titles, which would be an astonishing feat.

Cameroon have won just five of twenty-two meetings with Egypt, losing ten times to Africa’s most successful nation. The game sees Samuel Eto’o renew rivalries with Wael Gomaa. Alexander Song will, if he recovers from injury in time, try to shackle the flair and exuberance of Mohamed Aboutreika. Both are contenders for player of the tournament. Amr Zaki, on four goals and still in with a chance of winning the Golden Boot, goes head-to-head with Rigobert Song. Veteran of seven Cup of Nations, Song has seen it all and in him Cameroon will be marshaled by a true leader. Without Andre Bikey however, the Lions are missing one who has been a rock for them throughout the competition. His needless sending off in the semi-final may end up costing the nation dear.

Both sides have allayed attacking prowess with great organisation in getting to the final and perhaps this discipline is the main contributory factor in them both making it to Accra. Speaking of which, it will be interesting to see just to what degree the pitch in Accra influences the game. Ghana’s capital does not boast the best of surfaces. Either way, with two sides that have demonstrated power, determination, attacking potency and passion it is sure to be a thrilling end to a fantastic tournament. Roll on Sunday.

For more on the Final please see the Road to 2010 World Cup Final Blog

African Cup of Nations 2008, Alexander Song, Cameroon, Egypt, Hassan Shehata, Hosni Abd Rabou, Mohamed Aboutreika, Otto Pfister, Samuel Eto\'o