After 120 minutes of futbol that ended in 0-0, Gabaski, the goalkeeper, denied Harold Moukoudi, James Lea Siliki and gave the Pharaohs a Sunday date with Senegal and the chance to win continental title number 8.
After all the attention paid to Mohamed Salah’s pre-match, Egypt’s backline once again stepped up to claim the accolades. The team now has conceded two goals in six tournament games. All three knockout matches went into extra time.
Cameroon dominated the first half. They asked Egypt almost all of the questions, and Egypt was happy to just sit back and observe the West Africans trying to build momentum and rhythm.
Despite Cameroon’s bright start, Salah reminded hosts of his predatory instincts within eight minutes. He took a photo from outside the area and flew over.
After 17 minutes, the Lions were much closer as Michael Ngadeu took a corner against the junction between the bar and the post. Vincent Aboubakar got the rebound first, but the striker’s shot was wide deflected wide. The corner was able to cross the Egyptian area to Ngadeu, but the defender miskicked at close range. It was the closest anyone could get to scoring.
Cameroon were dominant, putting Gabaski under a lot of pressure. However, Gabaski seemed to still be suffering from the same groin injury that saw his substitution in Sunday’s quarter-final win over Morocco.
Egypt began to attack more in the last few minutes, as Hamdi Fathi’s header off a right-sided free kick was tipped over. Although the Pharaohs had several chances to break, they couldn’t get on track. It was difficult to predict which team would be happier at the half-time break: Egypt for not conceding or Cameroon who were well ahead.
At the beginning of the second period, the North Africans were more aggressive and the game opened up. Salah suddenly began to see more of the ball, and almost found Trezeguet within the area.
He should have done better after the break, when he grabbed a Martin Hongla backpass that was just inside the Cameroon halb. Andre Onana, the goalkeeper, had very little to do in first half. Salah tried to get around him and into an empty area but he was stopped by a boot.
Cameroon received a free kick shortly after that, just to the left side of the box. It was whipped into the near goal by Moumi Nagamaleu. Karl Toko Ekambi headed it on, but Gabaski made the save by getting down at his near post. He flew across the area seconds later to attempt to score a long-range zinger by Samuel Oum Gouet, but he missed.
As full-time approached, the action slowed and it became clear that both teams were anxious about making a mistake. Carlos Queiroz, the coach, was the main focus of the excitement. He was given two yellows for gesturing and shouting from the sidelines in a span of three minutes.
Given that former Real Madrid manager was complaining right from the beginning, it was not surprising that the game ended in extra time.
The first period was quiet with Salah having little to no action. However, it was only half an hour. After ten minutes, Salah had the best chance. He rolled the ball just short of the post at the area’s edge. Mostafa Mohamed was supposed to have shot from the left side of the field, but instead he squared to Trezeguet. The danger was eliminated. Cameroon’s Gabaski made a similar move, but Gabaski crossed from the left. However, the defender was on hand to clear it.
Tension and fatigue were palpable, and the penalties got closer. However, Egypt had the best chance of winning the game in the last seconds. Ramadan Sobhi broke free from the right sideline and had four white shirts to choose. However, he blasted the ball too hard and no one could touch it.
Although Egypt had won five of their previous shootouts, they were much more confident going into penalties. Gabaski’s saves made it possible for the seven-time champions once again to celebrate.
