Egypt vs. Cameroon, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final preview: Top defensive sides face off for a continental title

The Africa Cup of Nations will crown a new champion on Sunday after two of the continent’s most historically successful sides made it all the way to the final in spectacular and somewhat surprising fashion.

Cameroon and Egypt, led by Hugo Broos and Hector Cuper respectively, have eschewed attacking flair over a three-week period where favourites Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal have grossly underperformed or eliminated by the tightest margins to defy pre-tournament expectations. The two managers are relatively inexperienced on the continent, a rarity for managers in the final, but history favours Egypt who defeated these same opponents 1-0 in the 2008 final and have won seven of their eight AFCON finals.

This was supposed to be the worst Cameroon side in recent memory, at least on paper, and with Egypt returning to Africa’s premier competition for the first time since 2010 following a cascade of unfortunate events that saw them miss three consecutive competitions, no one expected them to make it this far in Gabon. In a competition where the purists and most entertaining sides have fallen by the way side, it’s perhaps a little unfair that two of the least exciting teams have the chance to be crowned champions but the very nature of AFCON, and indeed, all cup competitions, is to make oneself hard to beat safely in the knowledge that there are no extra points awarded for attacking verve and breathless derring-do. And following the odds both sides overcame to return to the summit of African football to set up a repeat of the 2008 final, it’s hard to begrudge them of their moment in the sun.

For Cameroon, this has been a surprising battle against the odds as they reached their first final since 2008 and got past the quarterfinal for the first time since 2010; interestingly they lost both times to Egypt. Their record in subsequent competitions makes for grim reading: failed to qualify in 2012 and 2013, and finished bottom of the group in 2015 with only two goals scored. After the incredible success of the early noughties that saw them win consecutive AFCONs in 2000 and 2002 as well as Olympic soccer gold at the Sydney Games in 2000, the Indomitable Lions had fallen onto difficult times, directionless and purpose. The golden generation of that era had all-time greats like Samuel Eto’o, Rigobert Song, Carlos Kameni, and a host of household names to call on but the present day Cameroon side was shorn of genuine A-list quality, and to make a bad situation worse, eight regulars elected to make themselves unavailable for the roster.

Liverpool’s Joël Matip, Bordeaux’s Maxime Poundjé, Marseille’s André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Nancy’s Guy N’Dy Assembé, Schalke’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Lille’s Ibrahim Amadou, West Brom’s Alan Nyom, and first choice goalkeeper Andre Onana, who plies his trade for Ajax, all chose their club careers ahead of representing Cameroon. That left manager Hugo Broos, himself inexperienced at international level, with a huge task on his hands.

The Belgian’s roster of 23 had 14 players making their competition debut, with few outside of their homeland giving them a chance of making an impression at the most open AFCON in recent years. Yet the many absentees seem to have done Broos and Cameroon a massive favour, with the Belgian boss eking out a string of impressive performances from his motley crew of inexperienced heads, devoid of the ego and friction that has derailed the national team in years past.

Cameroon are hard to beat and defensively solid with the centre-back pair of Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui and Adolphe Teikeu keeping star-studded Senegalese and Ghanaian attacks at bay. Captain Benjamin Moukandjo has been a leader in midfield and Christian Bassogog has caught the eye with his impressive performances from the right flank. The surprise standout performer has been goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, cousin of first choice Onana, who has set Gabon alight with a string of important saves, including denying Sadio Mane during the shootout in quarterfinal. The 21-year-old has yet to make a single senior appearance for Gimnàstic Tarragona but like Charles Itandje before him, he continues a rich tradition of Cameroonian goalkeepers with unremarkable club careers who seem to save the best for the national team. It is worth noting that before Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Ghana in the semifinals, Guinea-Bissau were the only team Cameroon defeated in regular time in their run to the final.

Egypt themselves haven’t been exactly swashbuckling, indeed the major talking point in the buildup to the tournament was how Hector Cuper set his side up to be defensively compact while sacrificing attacking flair at the altar of rearguard solidity. Cuper has repeatedly defended his tactics that all that matters is the result, and when a side goes an entire competition conceding just once, it’s hard to argue the end does not justify the means.

Egypt play counter-attacking football, as they soak up pressure for long periods before launching the ball forward to their speedy attackers upfront. This especially suits star man Mohamed Salah to a tee, as well as Kahraba and Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, all of who use their pace to occupy space behind opponents. It hasn’t been pretty to watch -- in fact all of Egypt’s games have been snooze-fests -- but it has been an effective strategy bringing out the best in their attacking trio even when the performances look disjointed. The diabolical state of the pitch in Port Gentil, where Egypt played their opening four matches, didn’t help matters either, as a newly commissioned arena surprisingly proved unfit for purpose.

It’s impossible to discuss the Pharaohs’ run to the final without acknowledging the importance of their 44-year-old goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary; his collected mien during the latter stages of the penalty shootout against Burkina Faso showed the invaluable advantage that comes with having big-game experience in high stakes encounters. Egypt’s failure to make it to the AFCON in recent years meant all but three of the players on the roster had experience in this competition, and with El-Hadary one of the remaining stalwarts, the legendary goalkeeper has rolled back the years to guide his young teammates to the cusp of their country’s eighth continental success.

With two teams set up to play on the counter-attack facing off, it will be incumbent on either side to take the initiative from the off, a strategy which suits neither side. Cameroon appear to be the more creatively impotent of the two sides with central midfielders Sébastien Siani and Arnaud Djoum usually bereft of attacking instincts, leaving the captain Moukandjo to shoulder the creative burden.

Egypt, for their part, are perhaps the most tactically aware side on the continent since Cuper arrived, and their disciplined approach stands them in good stead for this encounter. They are unbeaten in 23 AFCON games, a run that stretches to their 2-1 loss to Algeria in 2004 and with big game experience that saw them defeat Nigeria en route to qualifying, Cuper’s side are favourites for a reason.

Projected lineups

Egypt: The Pharaohs play a straightforward 4-3-3 and generally have a settled side, with fit-again Mohammed Elneny the only selection headache facing Cuper. If the Arsenal midfielder is deemed unfit to start a game of this magnitude, expect Ibrahim Salah (no relation to Mohamed) to start in his place. Marwan Mohsen suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in the quarterfinal against Morocco and Kahraba has since edged out Sporting Braga’s Ahmed Hassan Koka as the leading striker.

Cameroon: Hugo Broos also deploys a 4-3-3, although his side have taken some time to evolve into a settled team. Having started with Ernest Mabouka at right back in the opener against Burkina Faso, Collins Fai has started in subsequent matches to complete the back four. Moukandjo and Siani have been ever-presents in midfield, with Djoum, Edgar Salli and Georges Mandjeck taking turns to complete the midfield trio. In attack, Vincent Aboubakar has been a surprise if justified omission and Clinton N’Jie since dropped to the bench following disappointing outings in the opening two games. Bassogog provides flair and is the creative outlet down the right wing, with the willing Jack Zoua starting in place of Aboubakar and Ndip Tambe operating from the left side of attack.

Match date/time: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. local

Venue: Stade de l’Amitie, Libreville, Gabon

TV: beIN Sports (U.S.), Eurosport 2 (U.K.)

Online: beIN Sports Connect, Fubo, Sling (U.S.), Eurosport player (U.K.)

Listings for other countries at Live Soccer TV.