After a dazzling performance in their Day 1 match at the group stages, beating Cameroon 4-2, the Pharaohs of Egypt once more proved their invincibility on the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. The occasion was the final of the AFCON 2008 at the Ohene Djan Stadium, Sunday, February 10.

The Pharaohs edged their Indomitable Lions counterpart, 1-0. The fiery Mohammed Abou Trika tactfully pushed in a well-served pass below the arm of Cameroon’s top-rated keeper, Carlos Idriss Kameni, to his net. The pass came from the indefatigable Mohammed Zidan, who wriggled his way out from a body battle with Cameroon’s emblematic captain, Rigobert Song Bahanack in the 18-metre-box of Cameroon.

The Egyptian squad showed proof of collective play style. They were tactically, physically, technically and mentally fit for a football match of that stature and during the entire competition. Though they succeeded in scoring a goal, the Pharaohs created more scoring chances than their opponent of the day.

It was an electrifying Egyptian 11-man team that came into the AFCON 2008 final. In the first twenty minutes of the match, the Pharaohs had full control of the game. They came so close, three times to open score but the agile Kameni for the Indomitable Lions and first choice keeper of Espanyol FC  of Spain put a stop to the Egyptian aggression.

The Indomitable Lions instead had a festival of poor passes and poor construction at the midfield. Their maestro, Alexandre Song Billong was struggling to catch up with a knee injury. It wouldn’t last. 15 minutes into the match, Coach for Cameroon, 70-year-old German born Otto Pfister had no option than to replace Billong with Augustin Binya. To the best of his ability, Binya brought in some sanity to the Cameroon’s midfield organisation.

However, it will not be better still for Cameroon. The midfield in its entirety failed to click with the attack line. Hit man Samuel Fils Eto’o was once more eclipsed. The huge and energetic defence mechanism of the Pharaohs successfully curtailed his intentions of any incursions. They succeeded!! Not much was seen from Eto’o, except a gliding shot that went many centimetres away from the goalpost of Egyptian Keeper, El Hadary, the man said to be the oldest player at AFCON 2008.

In the second half of the match, the Egyptians, employed their physical fitness into good use. Their pressure on the opponents will not stop if they don’t successfully crack them. Of course! The magic wand came at the 77th minute with Abou Trika, after a big defensive error from Song Bahanack. Egypt was on her way to win the 6th AFCON trophy and they subsequently did.

This was the second time the Pharaohs were winning the AFCON trophy for the second consecutive times. They did it in 1957 as host, and it was the maiden edition of AFCON. Two years later, 1959, again, hosting, the Egyptians won the trophy.

2006, the Egyptians hosted and won, dismissing Ivory Coast in post match penalty shoot outs, 4-3.

2008, two years after, they have proudly, climbed on the African football podium to brandish the AFCON trophy another time.

Before now, the Pharaohs had beaten the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon at the Cairo Stadium in 1986, to win the AFCON trophy for the third time in the annals of the competition.

It is also the second consecutive time Hassan Shehata, the Egyptian Coach is winning the AFCON trophy with the Pharaohs. He did in 2006 at home and 2008 in Ghana. Kodus! Sir! Little wonder, his contract with the Egyptian Football Federation has been extended to 2010, which include AFCON 2010 to be hosted by Angola and World 2010 to be hosted for the first time in the African soil by the Rainbow Country, South Africa.

The records are rather unpalatable for Otto Pfister. He too was at his second finals at the AFCON 2008. 1992, the “wise man” of African football led the Ghanaian Black Stars to the AFCON 1992 final. His team, the Black Stars, lost to Ivory Coast in a 10-11 penalty shout outs after 120 minutes of play.

2008, Pfister has lost another AFCON final with Cameroon, where he is the trainer, to Egypt.

Keywords:  egypt cameroon ghana_can