Aboubakar delivers Cameroon Nations Cup
V INCENT Abouba ka r ca me of f t he bench to score a st unning winner with t wo minutes left as Cameroon foug ht back to beat Eg y pt 2-1 i n a t hrilling Africa Cup of Nations f inal on Sunday.
Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny had given Egypt the lead midway through the first half and Egypt looked to be on course to win an unrivalled eighth Cup of Nations crown in their first appearance at the tournament since 2010.
But Nicolas Nkoulou, who had come off the bench in the first half, headed in the equaliser just before the hour mark and fellow substitute Aboubakar slammed in the winner in the 88th minute.
That sparked bedlam in a near-capacity crowd of more than 38,000 in Gabon’s capital, made up in its majority by Cameroonian supporters.
It is a fifth Cup of Nations crown for the Indomitable Lions, a first since 2002, and the first time they have beaten Egypt i n the f i nal i n three attempts.
“I am very happy that we won the Cup of Nations today and I am happy for the players. This is not a group of football players – they are a group of friends,” said Cameroon’s Belgian coach Hugo Broos.
Egypt fell just short on their return to the competition after a seven-year absence, and the defeat will be especially painful for their coach Hector Cuper.
The Argentine was desperate to win a trophy after a career tainted by rotten luck in finals at club level, including back-to-back defeats in the UEFA Champions League with Valencia at the start of the last decade.
But Cuper said: “The sadness I have is not because I lost another final, it’s because there was so much hope especially among the people in Egypt and I am sorry for the players who put in so much effort.”
Egypt have been derided at times for a defensive approach under Cuper, but they played their part in this rarest of things – a genuinely entertaining final.
Cameroon’s victory means they will be Africa’s representative in the Confederations Cup in Russia later this year. The Indomitable Lions will come up against Chile, Australia and world champions Germany in Group B of the eight-team competition which runs from June 17 to July 2.
The Indomitable Lions will play Chile in Moscow on June 18 in their opening game of the tournament, which is seen as a warm-up ahead of the World Cup next year.