CAN 7th Day Round-up:Magical Abou-Treika and Momentous Eto'o Rule

The 7th day of the 2008 African Cup of Nations witnessed a nine-goal feast, with Egypt beating Sudan 3-0 and Cameroon demolishing Zambia 5-1 in Kumasi.

كتب : Omar AbdelAziz

الأحد، 27 يناير 2008 - 18:37
هاني سعيد
The 7th day of the 2008 African Cup of Nations witnessed a nine-goal feast, with Egypt beating Sudan 3-0 and Cameroon demolishing Zambia 5-1 in Kumasi.

Man of the day: Mohamed Abou-Treika proved why he is the darling of Egyptian fans after his huge impact in the 3-0 Sudan victory.

The Ahli wizard, who is arguably the best playmaker in the domestic league, came on as a substitute to score a stylish brace and steal the show from Cameroon-match hero Mohamed Zidan.

Goal of the day: Abou-Treika's first was the most attractive; a the Ahli midfielder combined with Amr Zaki in a move that saw the duo exchange passes between the entire Sudan defense.

Treika finished off Zaki's unselfish assist with a trade-mark flick by the outside of the foot, after he skillfully deceived the hapless Sudan keeper.

Moment of the day: Samuel Eto'o authenticated his name as a Cameroonian legend when he converted a penalty against Zambia, equaling Laurent Pokou's achievement as the all-time top scorer of the Nations Cup with 14 goals.

Disappointment of the day: Zambia defenders made sure that Cameroon wouldn't work much to find the target in the catastrophic performance of Saturday's 5-1 defeat.

The Chipolopolo defense committed no less than three fatal errors to conclude the devastating score line.

What the Papers Said

Al-Ahram credited 'players' experience' and 'manager's tactics' as factors that helped the Pharaohs seal the 'precious victory' over Sudan.

Al-Mesaa said: ''Abou-Treika the Magician Seals Nile Derby for Pharaohs."

On the other hand, Sudanese media was clearly disappointed after the team suffered a second straight defeat by the three-goal margin.

Al-Mashaheer stated: ''The National team exits Nations Cup after losing by three goals from the Pharaohs."

While Al-Sadda posted: ''Sad Ending for the Hawks at the Hands of the Pharaohs."

''Lions devour Chipolopolo" was an emphatic headline by Cameroon newspaper Camfoot after the 5-1 thrashing of Zambia.

The achievement of Eto'o overshadowed the massive victory though, as the Barcelona striker earned the praise of Cameroonian media.