On February 4, Beijing time, the second semi-final of the African Cup of Nations was staged, and the host Cameroon played against the seven-time champion Egypt. In this campaign, Cameroon wasted multiple scoring opportunities, and the two sides did not win or lose for 120 minutes. In the penalty shootout, Cameroon conceded three consecutive free throws and eventually made it 1-3 out, missing the final final.
In this African Cup of Nations, the winner of the 5-time champion Cameroon is quite strong, with 2 wins and 1 draw in the group stage to lock in the qualification in advance, and defeated the comoros and the Gambia two new forces in the knockout round, easily reaching the final four. In this campaign against Egypt, Cameroon is also the dominant side.
Full-court data showed cameroon with nearly 60% possession, 9-7 shots on goal, 3-1 on target and 6-2 in corners, all in the lead. Abubakar and Toko Ekambi continued to output, making Egyptian goalkeeper Abu Gabale the busiest man of the game.
However, Cameroon has been undeterred, with Nzugaard's header hitting the post and Salah's single knife being deflected by Onana. The two sides played 0-0 in 90 minutes, and there was no winner in 30 minutes of extra time.
In the penalty shootout, Cameroon suddenly had a mental breakdown, and with the exception of Abubakar's free throws, mukudi and Cilic's penalties were saved by the Egyptian goalkeeper. In the fourth round, Ngiyer kicked the ball away, egypt hit all three free throws, and finally Cameroon lost 1-3 to Egypt to stop the semifinals.
In the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final, Cameroon defeated Egypt 2-1 and successfully crowned 5 champions. Today, 5 years later, the roles of the two sides are reversed, and Cameroon has become the background board for the Egyptian team to revel. It is worth mentioning that since 2006, no host has been able to play in the final of the African Cup of Nations, and Cameroon is no exception.
The most disappointed is Eto'o, the 41-year-old Barca legend witnessed the sad exit of the motherland team at the scene. When Ngier kicked the flying penalty, Eto'o directly blackened his face and then left the stands in a sullen mood.
With Cameroon out and the Africa Cup of Nations final out, Egypt will face Senegal for the ultimate matchup. The former won the championship a total of 7 times, moving towards the 8th crown, while the latter reached the final for two consecutive years, looking forward to winning the first African Cup of Nations in the history of the team.
It is worth mentioning that the African Cup of Nations final also became the Liverpool derby, with Mane and Salah head-on PK to compete for the final title.