Egypt retained their Africa Cup of Nations crown on Sunday when Mohamed Aboutraika scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Cameroon which also delivered a record sixth title.
The defending champions ensured they held on to the trophy when, after a slick passing movement, Aboutraika struck in the 77th minute for a deserved success.
The result was the Pharoahs' final act in a hugely impressive campaign that saw them build on the defeat of Cameroon in their opening group game to record victories over Sudan, Tunisia and then Ivory Coast in the semi-finals.
Egypt were adding the trophy to their wins in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998 and 2006, with coach Hassan Shehata becoming only the second coach to win back-to-back titles.
Cameroon were without their suspended defender Andre Bikey, but Alexandre Song, stretchered off in the semi-final win over Ghana, was on the pitch.
However, the Arsenal defender only lasted a quarter of an hour, limping off dejectedly with Benfica's Gilles Binya taking his place.
Before Song's exit, Egypt's Hosny Abd Rabou had hit a 30m free kick which flew over the Cameroon defense before goalkeeper Carlos Kameni had to look sharp to deny Emad Moteab's angled shot.
Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan then did well to stick his foot out to deflect Joel Epaule's effort.
Pharoahs' keeper Essam al-Hadary, man of the match against Ivory Coast, was up to the job of denying a 30m freekick special from Geremi before Kameni produced an acrobatic dive to keep out Moteab's dangerous strike.
Eto'o, the competition's all time top scorer, had the Egyptians scampering around on the hour mark with a lightning run down the left.
Cameroon coach Otto Pfister then introduced striker Mohamadou Idrissou for a midfielder, Achille Emana, as he sought the keys to unlock the Egyptians, with Shehata swapping Moteab for Hamburg striker Mohamed Zidan.
Zidan scored twice in Egypt's win over Cameroon earlier in the tournament and he was instrumental in putting them into a 77nd minute lead.
He robbed the tiring Rigobert Song and his slide rule pass from the left found Aboutraika who calmly struck low past Kameni.
That was the Al Ahly midfielder's fourth goal and it set up a fraught final quarter of an hour as Cameroon frantically tried to get back into the match, but the defending champions held on to take the continental cup back to Cairo.
In the Egyptian capital, the victory brought joy and relief.
"Finally something joyous happens to us," said Mohammed Said, sporting an Egyptian flag instead of his traditional galabaya robe. "With the government we have everything is sad, the prices, the boats sink and trains crash, this is the only thing that gives us joy."
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their