Online Newsroom: Egypt News Archive
Egyptian National Team Wins Africa Cup of Nations Title
February 4, 2010
The Egyptian national soccer team recently returned from Angola, where it participated in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Egypt was one of sixteen countries to qualify for the tournament. The team, whose nickname is “The Pharaohs,” won its first three matches in the initial group stage to advance to the knockout round.
After securing a 3-1 victory against Cameroon in the quarterfinals, the Pharaohs were set for a semifinal matchup against rival Algeria, which had recently defeated Egypt in a hard-fought World Cup qualifying match. This time, it was the Egyptians who had the upper hand, defeating their rival 4-0 and gaining redemption for their previous loss.
The final game against Ghana saw the Pharaohs score the lone goal of the match to secure a 1-0 victory and the Africa Cup of Nations title.
This was the third championship in a row for Egypt and the seventh overall, more than any other country. Impressively, the Egyptians won their title while going undefeated and only surrendering two goals in the entire tournament. Their effort was enough to vault the Pharaohs into the #10 spot in the FIFA world rankings, the highest ranking in the nation’s history.
The team was welcomed back to their homeland amid widespread celebrations and a special ceremony with President Hosni Mubarak.