The match has started and it promises to be a fitting finale to one of the freest flowing and attacking expositions of soccer of all times. Egypt met Cameroun in its Group C encounter and won, 4-2. Samuel Eto’o scored both goals but he was overshadowed by the sensational Mohamad Zidan and Hosni Abd Rabou.
Egypt and Cameroun have defied all odds and expectations to reach the finals as Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria have fallen. Two coaches with very different trajectories, Hassan Shehata, the long time Zamalek player, for the last three years coaching the only national team in his career goes head to head with the most itinerant coach on the planet, Germany’s Otto Pfister, last seen as Togo’s national coach in he 2006 World Cup. Cameroun is Pfister’s 17th coaching job. He was also Zamalek’s coach from 1999- 2002 and led them to the CAF title as well as a league championship. So there is a bit of history interconnecting the two teams.
Arsenal’s Alexander Song who has had a fantastic competition will hold the back four as Cameroun look to absorb Egypt’s potent attack led by in form Mohammad Aboutreika, Ahmed Fatih, Amr Zaky, and Hosni Abd Rabou. Their best chance lie in counterattacks with Samuel Eto’o, their talismanic sharpshooter providing the exclamation point.
Cameroun: 1-Idriss Carlos Kameni; 3-Bill Tchato, 8-Geremi, 4-Rigobert Song, 5-Timothee Atouba; 10-Achille Emana, 15-Alexandre Song, 19-Stephane Mbia, 14-Joel Epalle; 12-Alain Nkong, 9-Samuel Eto’o
Egypt: 1-Essam Al Hadari; 5-Shady Mohamed, 6-Hani Said, 20-Wael Gomaa, 14-Sayed Moawad; 8-Hosni Abd Rabou, 7-Ahmed Fathi, 17-Ahmed Hassan, 22-Mohamed Aboutrika; 10-Emad Moteab, 19-Amr Zaki