Egypt defeats Cameroon on penalties to advance to the final

The Pharoah’s of Egypt are through to the final of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations after beating host Cameroon 3-1 on penalties.

The Egyptians avenged their loss to Cameroon in the 2017 final by defeating the hosts on penalties, setting up a Sunday showdown with Senegal.

Goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal was the hero for the Egyptians, saving from both Harold Moukoudi and James Lea-Siliki in the shoot-out at the Olembe Stadium before Clinton Njie blazed wide with Cameroon’s last chance to keep their dream alive.

Mohamed Salah, usually the fifth penalty-taker for his country, was not needed as Egypt advanced to a final showdown against Senegal at the Olembe Stadium on Sunday.

That will see Mohamed Salah come up against his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane, with the Pharaohs chasing a record-extending eighth African crown while Senegal continues their search for their first title.
Cameroon, meanwhile, see their hopes of AFCON glory on home soil ended in cruel fashion, and they must still get through a third-place play-off against Burkina Faso on Saturday.

Cameroon dominated the first half, with captain Vincent Aboubakar hitting the crossbar and missing a golden opportunity to open the scoring early in the second half after a dreadfully short back-pass by Martin Hongla sent him clear.

Egypt had the best chance of the second half, with Salah missing a chance to round Onana and score, and failed to settle things late in extra time, when Sobhi’s cross whistled through a crowded six-yard box and away from danger.

The Pharaoh’s were clinical in the penalty shoot-out, scoring all three of their attempts while Cameroon crumbled, squandering three of their kicks. 
The game saw Pharaoh’s boss Carlos Queiroz sent off for clashing with officials after losing his temper on the touchline and will miss his sides game against Senegal in the final on Sunday, February 6, 2022.

In a post-match press conference, Egyptian defender Mohamed Abdelmoneim, who was named Man of the Match, said “it was a good match for us. A difficult match against a good Cameroonian team but our team knew how to make the difference with a Mohamed Salah who supported us throughout the match like a great leader. Thank God, we succeeded in our penalty shootout to secure a place in the final.”

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