AFCON 2021: Egypt edge Cameroon to secure a place in the final
Egypt are to play Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 final after beating Cameroon 3-1 on penalties after extra time. Egypt booked their place in the final after substitute goalkeeper Gabaski made two crucial saves in the penalty shootout to knock out the hosts Cameroon.
Egypt avenged their defeat by Cameroon in the 2017 final, knocking out the hosts on penalties to set up a Sunday showdown with Senegal.
Hosts Cameroon had shown more impetus in 90 minutes, twice hitting the post through Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui’s looping header and Samuel Gouet’s thunderous long-range strike, which flicked the woodwork.
Egypt’s star man Salah was kept quiet for much of the game, curling a strike from outside the area narrowly over and almost profiting from a loose back pass, but he could not convert. But he did not have to step up in the shootout as Cameroon missed three of their efforts, with Gabaski saving from Harold Moukoudi and James Lea Siliki, while Clinton Njie side-footed wide.
An ill-tempered ending to normal time had seen Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz sent off for remonstrating with the referee and his assistant Wael Gomaa cautioned too. It means they will both be missing from the touchline for the final as Gomaa was also yellow carded in the quarter-final against Morocco.
Meanwhile, Cameroon will face Burkina Faso in the third/fourth-place play-off, which has been brought forward a day to Saturday.
I’m highly pissed at Cameroon….they should have buried the game in the first half…it was all them, even in the 2nd half….so many chances went abeging….well, they deserved what they got at the end…..sweet revenge for Egypt although they didn’t show much class…
I would say that every team that played in this year’s AFCON really tried.
But it’s going to be a wonderful finals between the West and the North.