Egypt vs Cameroon (3-1)

Egypt vs Cameroon (3-1)

Date: 25-1-2010
Wrote: EP's webmaster

The Pharaohs proved that big teams can still win even if things are not going their way. A poor performance from the Pharaohs in the original time still granted them the ticket to semi-final. An own goal, a wicked shot led to the equalizer, a defensive blunder and a poor refereeing decision made the score 3-1 in the end.

Egypt Advance to Semifinal:

The Pharaohs advanced to the ACN semi final round after a long marathon. Once again, the Indomitable Lions became victims for the Pharaohs. However, this victory didn't come easy due to the poor display in original time.

Poor display in original time

Egypt started with their regular 3-5-2 formation. Muhammadi started in place of Fathy in midfield while the later played as a defensive midfielder alongside Hosny Abd Rabo and Ahmed Hassan. Rather this this change, the Egyptian team played with their usual line up.

Cameroon made things harder for the Pharaohs. Geremi kept Moawad quiet in the left flank while Muhammadi couldn't advance much. The heart of midfield was Egypt's biggest problem though as Abd Rabo is still in a very poor form and could have cot the Egyptians the game.

The lack of a playmaker in the Egyptian half resulted in Cameroon winning the midfield battle. Physically and technically, Cameroon players were superior in midfield which allowed them greater ball possession. In the first half alone, Cameroon won in excess of ten corner kicks and one of them led to their only goal.

Friendly fire:

Cameroon was the dominant side in the first 90 minutes of the game. They had possession, they created chances and they won 23 corner kicks while Egypt just had one.

Despite their control on the game, Cameroon failed to convert. Alert Hadary was always there to deny them chance after the other. However, Hadary couldn't deal with friendly fire as Hassan who tried to defend the near post headed the ball into his own net in the 37th minute.

After the goal, the Egyptian team didn't control things and couldn't correct their mistakes either. However, Hassan was able to bounce back with a long range effort from 34 meters to end the first half in a 1-1 draw.

Late substitutions:

It was surprising to see Shehata keeping his starting eleven on the field with the start of the second half. As a result, the Egyptian team continued to give possession away, the strikers remained isolated at front, and long ball tactic was the only way to drive the ball forward.

Cameroon at this stage looked like as if they were going to win the match. Egyptians were just trying to defend and bring the game to extra time.

Then came the moment when Shehata finally decided to remove Abd Rabo from the game. This substitution did wonders to the Egyptian team as they started to control the game and score.

Gedo, the new talisman:

A real gem of a player, a star in the marking, a super sub. Mohamed Nagi Gedo is without any doubt the find of this tournament. He is quick, athletic, and deadly in front of goal.

Gedo's introduction was delayed though. He should have came on earlier to replace Abd Rabo as Egypt could have played with Hassan and Fathy as defensive midfielders while Gedo could have played the role of a support man.

Gedo scored after taking advantage of Geremi's blunder. It was another colossal mistake by Cameroon defense. Song did a similar mistake in 2008 final and its now Geremi who granted Egypt the ticket to semi-final.

Gedo's performance as a whole in this tournament and against Cameroon was phenomenal. He scored three goals after coming on from the bench and his touches and decisions were all excellent.

Gedo made a super run in the second extra time which could have lead to another Egyptian goal, He also stole the ball from Chedjou and forced the later to trip him and head to the tunnel after receiving a straight red for the professional foul.

In brief:

Egypt 3-1 Cameroon.

Best performers (Egypt): Gedo (10/10), Hassan (8/10), Hadary (9/10) and Gomaa (8/10).

Weak links (Egypt): Abd Rabo (1/10), Sayed Moawad (5/10).

Manager rating: Shehata (5/10), Le Guen (8/10).