AFCON 2021: Egypt vs Cameroon Preview; Revenge or Repeat?
The two most successful sides in the history of the tournament go head to head for a place in the final when host nation Cameroon take on Egypt at the Paul Biya Stadium on Thursday evening as the AFCON reaches it penultimate stage.
With the home crowd cheering them on, Cameroon have enjoyed a sensational Africa Cup of Nations campaign and will feel confident in their chances of reaching a second final in five years.
With seven points from three games, Cameroon secured smooth passage into the round of 16, where they were drawn against newcomers Comoros, after finishing top of Group A with a three-point cushion over Burkina Faso and Cape Verde, who finished level on four points
Despite the valiant display of the Coelacanths at the Paul Biya Stadium on January 24, Toni Conceicao’s side returned to winning ways as they secured a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals in either half from Karl Toko Ekambi and Vincent Aboubakar.
Cameroon maintained their impressive string of results last time out when they made light work of fellow debutants Gambia, claiming a 2-0 victory thanks to a second-half brace from Ekambi.
The Indomitable Lions, who are seeking to conquer the continent for a sixth time, are now unbeaten in each of their last nine outings across all competitions — picking up eight wins and one draw — stretching back to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ivory Coast in the World Cup qualifiers last September.
This fine run has been in no small part owing to their impressive display at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have scored 20 goals since that loss, while managing four clean sheets at the opposite end of the pitch.
On the other hand, while this might not be Egypt’s best performance in the history of the tournament, they will be delighted to have made it this far all the same after several unconvincing performances.
With six points from three games, Carlos Queiroz’s men secured safe passage to the knockout stages, where they faced the daunting task of taking on a rampant Ivory Coast side in the last 16, after finishing runners-up in Group D, three points adrift of group winners Nigeria.
In a cagey affair at the Douala Stadium, nothing could separate the sides after 120 minutes, forcing the game to penalties, where Eric Bailly missed his spot kick before Mohamed Salah calmly converted the all-important strike to condemn the Elephants to a 5-4 defeat.
Going up against title favourites Morocco in the quarter-finals, the Pharaohs picked up their biggest result at the tournament as they turned in a performance of the highest quality to come from behind and claim a 2-1 victory in extra time.
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After falling behind in the opening seven minutes through Sofiane Boufal’s penalty, Egypt rallied in the second half as Salah put on a show, scoring the equaliser eight minutes after half time to take the game to extra time before setting up Trezeguet’s 100th-minute winner.
The North Africans have scored just four goals in the tournament, but their defensive show of class has played a huge role in their journey so far as they have kept three clean sheets and conceded just two in five games.
They head into Thursday’s game as the most decorated side on the continent with a record seven Africa Cup of Nations triumphs and they will look to repeat their 2010 run, when they went all the way before defeating Ghana 1-0 in the final.
Team News
The duo of Aboubakar and Ekambi, who have scored or assisted all of Cameroon’s 12 goals at the tournament, have been pivotal in their journey so far and will certainly play another big role on Thursday.
Aboubakar, who is currently the competition’s highest goalscorer with six goals, also has one assist to his name, while the Olympique Lyon forward is one goal shy having netted five so far.
While the duo have caught the eye in attack, Collins Fai, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Michael Ngadeu and Seattle Sounders man Nouhou Tolo have been solid at the defensive end of the pitch and we expect them to start for the third game running.
At the centre of the park, Nicolas Moumie Ngamaleu and Napoli’s Andre Zambo Anguissa have been ever-present for Cameroon, featuring in all five games at the tournament, and we expect them to be tasked with winning the midfield battle once again.
On the other hand, Egypt remain without Hamdi Fathi after the Al Ahly midfielder picked up an injury in last Wednesday’s game against Ivory Coast, meaning Ayman Ashraf will push for a second consecutive start.
Fellow Al Ahly teammate Akram Tawfik is also out of contention for the Pharaohs after the 24-year-old sustained a severe injury in the opening game against Nigeria which saw him come off inside the opening 11 minutes.
They will also have to make do with the absence of former West Bromwich Albion man Ahmed Hegazy, who was hooked off at half time against Morocco through injury with goalscorer Trezeguet taking his place.
Having seen the goalkeeping duo of Mohamed El-Shenawy and Gabaski come off injured in their last two games, Egypt are left with third-choice Mohamed Sobhy, who made his national team debut in the aforementioned game.
With his goal and assist against the Atlas Lions, Salah has now scored or assisted three of the North Africans’ four goals so far and the Liverpool man’s presence will definitely give the Cameroon defenders some thinking to do.
Cameroon possible starting lineup:
Onana; Fai, Castelletto, Ngadeu, Tolo; Oum Gouet, Anguissa; Ekambi, Kunde, Ngamaleu; Aboubakar
Egypt possible starting lineup:
Sobhy; Kamal, Trezeguet, Hamdi, Fatouh; Ashraf, El-Sulya, Elneny; Mohamed, Marmoush, Salah
Match Facts
This will be the 11th Africa Cup of Nations encounter between Egypt and Cameroon, no two teams have met on more occasions in the competition’s history.
Egypt have won three of their last four Africa Cup of Nations games against Cameroon (L1), scoring nine goals, this after netting just twice across their previous six encounters against the Indomitable Lions in the competition (W1 D2 L3).
Cameroon have progressed from seven of their nine semi-final matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, only opponents Egypt (8) have made it through this round more often in AFCON history.
The Africa Cup of Nations hosts have been eliminated in three of their last five semi-final matches in the competition, with Egypt the last such team to progress from this round (2-1 against Senegal in 2006).
Since the beginning of 2017, no player has been directly involved in more goals (9) at the Africa Cup of Nations than Egypt’s Mohamed Salah (six goals, three assists) or Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar (seven goals, two assists).
What they said
Antonio Conceiçao (Coach, Cameroon)
Our goal is clear; to play a good game and go to the final. We will play against a very good team, Egypt, the most successful team in Africa. They have very good players, including one of the best in the world, namely Mohamed Salah. My players are motivated to win. We have positive pressure, but our pbjective is clear, to win the title for the Cameroonian people.
Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa (Midfielder, Cameroon)
The group is motivated to play a good match against Egypt. We are determined to achieve a good result, go to the final and win the title. Playing at home is very special for us. We are committed to play this semi-final and go for the title next Sunday, for the Cameroonian people.
Carlos Queiroz (Coach, Egypt)
To reach the semifinals is a reward for us. Facing hosts Cameroon is tough as they play very good football. We want to offer the world a pleasant match between two great African teams. We are ready for this semifinal. It is true that we have played two consecutive matches with extra-time, but we remain ready to play a very good match. We have the right team for this kind of games.
Mohamed El Shennawy (Goalkeeper, Egypt)
It’s a very important match for us against hosts Cameroon. We want to go as far as possible and try to win the title. Our objective since the start was to win the tournament. We have one of the best players in the world, Mohamed Salah, and I hope he will be in his day to give what we expect from him.
Prediction
Egypt 1-1 Cameroon
