Cameroon Beats Egypt 2-1, Claims African Nations Soccer Cup Title

By Diaa Bekheet

Cameroon beat seven-time champion Egypt 2-1 in the final match of African Nations Football Cup in Libreville, Gabon, Sunday. It is the fifth time for Cameroon to claim the trophy.

Egypt’s midfielder Mohamed Elneny put his team ahead when he scored in the 25th minute of the first half.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi telephoned the team during the half-time break to voice his support after Elneny netted the goal, Egyptian media reported.

In the second half, Cameroon’s Nicolas Nkoulou leveled the score with a brilliant header, then Vincent Aboubakar scored the decisive goal about three minutes before the final whistle.

Support for the Egyptian team was little noticed as the majority of the nearly 40,000 soccer fans who packed up the stadium in Gabon’s capital, Libreville, supported Cameroon.