5 things learned from Egypt’s penalty shootout win over Cameroon in semifinals of Africa Cup of Nations

RIYADH: Egypt on Thursday defeated Cameroon in a penalty shootout in the semifinal of the Africa Cup of Nations after two hours of football ended 0-0. The Pharaohs will go on to meet Senegal in Sunday’s final but before that, here are five things that Arab News learned.

1. Egypt’s game plan worked perfectly

You have to hand it to Egypt. They had gone to extra time twice in the knockout stages already and were facing the tournament’s top scorers but ended up victorious.

The plan was to take the sting out of Cameroon, stop them playing and, if possible, try and grab a goal. That all worked apart from scoring but that was fine as they were more than happy to go to penalties.

Cameroon had the better of the first half but as the game progressed, they created fewer chances and looked increasingly tired.

It is debatable as to whether Egypt wanted penalties right from the start of the game, but they played as if a shootout would always be welcome. It certainly seemed as if the north Africans were more confident and happier than the hosts when it came to the spot-kick showdown and that was amply demonstrated in the way it all went.

Egypt stood tall while Cameroon just, well, crumbled, and as soon as Mohamed Abou Gabal, or Gabaski, made the first save, from body language alone, it was obvious who was going to win.

2. Aboubakar’s Salah comments backfired

Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar’s comments on Mohamed Salah before the game added an extra dimension to what was already a big match and perhaps there was some frostiness when the two skippers tossed coins.

“He doesn’t impress me much,” Aboubaker reportedly said about the Liverpool star. “I say it clearly because I’m an honest person and I have my way of seeing things.