Ghana 0-1 Egypt: 7th Heaven for Pharoahs – Egypt Win African Cup of Nations 2010

Ghana 0-1 Egypt
African Cup of Nations 2010 Final
Scorer: Gedo ‘85

And in the end, Egypt win.

It is turning into a bit of a running theme at the African Cup of Nations now isn’t it? 3 weeks, a lot of buildup, lots of hyping up other teams and then, when all is said and done, Egypt take home the trophy. So it was in 2006, 2008 and now 2010, as Mohamed ‘Gedo’ Nagy’s 85th minute winner sunk a plucky, hard-working Ghana outfit in the final to hand Egypt a 1-0 win and a magnificent 7th African Cup of Nations (AFCON) crown.

This was both Ghana and Egypt’s 8th AFCON final in Angola, but the first time the North and West African rivals had ever met at this stage of the competition. Before the game the tale of the tape was youth vs experience – Ghana’s hungry young guns against the all-conquering prowess of Egypt. “Nobody gave them a dog’s chance,” claimed CAF of Ghana on the eve of the game (funny that, given the bookmakers had them as second favourites) and the general consensus was that given Ghana’s injury troubles and the collective youth of the squad, just getting to the final was success in itself. Egypt on the other hand are regulars at this stage of AFCON these days and after their calm dismantling of Algeria in the semi final, the Pharaohs were expected to win.

After the pre-match festivities and handshakes with members of various governing bodies (I wonder how some of the players felt shaking Issa Hayatou’s hand after some of CAF’s recent decisions) the 27th African Cup of Nations final was underway.

The game

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac went for a narrow 4-5-1 formation with Asamoah Gyan the lone target man upfront. The aim was to stifle Egypt’s fluid style and reduce any space in the Black Stars’ half through the strong running of Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Anthony Annan and co. Rajevac has to take credit for Ghana’s tactical diligence throughout the tournament; the Black Stars were missing key players in Angola yet developed into a strong, mature unit with character and resolve in abundance. With the World Cup approaching it bodes well for Ghana.

Egypt coach Hassan Shehata meanwhile stuck to the tried and trusted 3-5-2 setup that has served him so well. Mohamed Gedo was again left on the bench, while Emad Moteab shaked off a hamstring strain to partner Mohamed Zidan upfront.

In truth there was very little to talk about in the first half. Both teams played narrow, solid tactics and in Luanda’s searing heat few chances were created. When the sight of Dominic Adiyiah sucking a dummy on the bench makes it into the first half highlights reel, you know it’s been a half of little incident.

Asamoah Gyan struggled upfront on his own against three centre-backs and looked visibly weary after just half an hour. Had leading the line on his lonesome all tournament taken its toll on the Rennes man? It certainly seemed so. Powerhouse defender Wael Gomaa and colleagues simply gobbled up the Black Stars forward. Agyemang Opoku and Andre Ayew were lively in wide areas early on, but Ghana did little with the scraps of possession they had.

For their part, Egypt found it hard work against a team sitting so deep. The Pharoahs’ best form of attack was down the right hand side with roving wing back Ahmed Al-Muhammadi but he too couldn’t help find an opening. When they did find a way into the final third, Isaac Vorsah, a rock throughout the competition, was often on hand to sweep up.

As the game wore on, 2 factors became of increasing importance: stamina and the pitch.

The sand-based pitch at the Estadio 11 de Novembro was in bad condition for most of the competition, and having staged 8 games prior to the final it cut up yet further. This aided neither team and certainly did not help Egypt’s passing style of play or the game as a spectacle. Ghana had the advantage of already having played 3 times in Luanda, but overall the pitch was a hindrance rather than a help.

As the game wore on and the temperature remained hot, tiredness set in and gaps began to appear. One gap in particular proved crucial. In the 85th minute Samuel Inkoom’s positioning let him down just long enough for Egypt to strike. And, like a leopard in the African jungle, they pounced. Substitute Mohamed Gedo and Mohamed Zidan combined for a crafty one-two on the edge of the box, and with the craftiest of finishes Gedo struck to send Egyptians everywhere into rapture. A late goal, 1-0 it finished and Egypt were champions for the third successive time.

Before the tournament I was sceptical about Egypt. I wasn’t sure they could handle the disappointment of World Cup playoff defeat to Algeria and I wasn’t convinced they could make do without talisman Mohamed Aboutreika. But revenge was taken against Algeria in the semi-final and for Aboutreika in 2006 and 2008 read Gedo in 2010, who despite not featuring very much was decisive and deadly when called upon.

“We played to win because we didn’t qualify for the World Cup,” said Egypt assistant coach Shawky Gharib after the game. Playoff pain was channelled into Cup of Nations motivation for Egypt in Angola – and how.

Once again, E
gypt have proved they are Africa’s finest.

(pic via Sky Sports)

African Cup of Nations 2010, African Football, Egypt, Ghana