Egypt won the African Cup of Nations for the third time in a row on Sunday after substitute Mohamed Gedo scored in the 85th minute to earn a 1-0 victory over Ghana in the final.
Tournament debutant Gedo curled in a shot from within the area to give Egypt a record seventh title.
“From the first day we arrived we said we were here to win the tournament,” Egypt assistant coach Shawki Garib said. “And we did it, even if it was harder than in 2006 and 2008.”
PHOTO: AFP
No other team has won the biennial tournament three consecutive times.
Egypt, who haven’t played in a World Cup since 1990, will again miss the showcase tournament this summer. Unbeaten in 19 matches in the African Cup, they lost to Algeria in November in the playoffs for a World Cup place in South Africa.
“We play better during big tournaments than during our qualifying campaigns,” Garib said. “Over three weeks, it’s easier to develop team cohesion.”
Ghana, who had been hoping to earn their first continental crown since 1982, dominated for most of the match but failed to create clearcut chances.
Egypt played without suspended striker Mahmoud Fathallah, while Ghana were at full strength with goalkeeper Richard Kingson overcoming a minor hamstring injury to start.
Meeting in the final for the first time in 53 years, both teams made a cautious start, scrapping for possession in midfield and struggling to create chances.
Ghana’s Samuel Inkoom tried his luck with a free kick from 30m in the eighth minute, while Egypt captain Hamed Hassan fared no better with a long-range effort five minutes later that flew over the bar.
Fielding four members of the team that won the Under-20 World Cup last year, Ghana defended neatly and were able to move swiftly into the Egypt half. However, Ghana failed to really support their strikers.
Ghana had another chance in the 15th minute but Agyeman Badu’s shot from a free kick was deflected wide.
Andre Ayew then failed to take advantage of Egypt’s poor clearance in the 20th minute, fluffing his half-volley while unmarked in the box, moments before Kwadwo Asamoah fired a 30m drive directly into the hands of Essam El Hadary.
Hassan tried to latch onto a free kick with his hand four minutes before the interval but couldn’t catch the ball.
Asamoah Gyan, who scored Ghana’s winners against both Angola and Nigeria in the previous stages, went close in the 52nd minute with a perfectly curled free kick that was tipped over the bar by El Hadary.
Ghana maintained their domination as Ayew unleashed a low shot that ended just wide while Egypt players were forced to make fouls to contain their opponents’ speed.
Gyan was a threat again in the 74th minute when he missed the target following a quick counterattack before forcing El Hadary to palm the ball away on a free kick.
Egypt finally broke the deadlock against the run of the play when Gedo, the top striker of the tournament with five goals, was perfectly set up on the left side of the box after a nice one-two and scored with a curling shot past Kingson at the far post.
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