Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has expressed appreciation for the country's national football team despite its 2-1 loss in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final game to Cameron on Sunday, in Gabon. The president said in a statement that despite of the game's result, the players gained the respect of the Egyptian people and all football spectators in the world.
"The commitment and loyalty shown by the players toward their country will result in other achievements in the future," the president's statement read.
Egypt's national football team reached the AFCON final this year, after failing to qualify for the past three championships in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
The team made a promising start, leading its group with seven points out of the group stage, following a 0-0 draw with Mali, and two wins against Uganda and Ghana with 1-0.
Egypt won the quarter-final game against Morocco, scoring 1-0 against the North African rivals for the first time in 31 years.
In the semi-final game, Egypt beat Burkina Faso in penalty shootouts, following a 120-minute game with a 1-1 draw.
Egypt lost the final game to champions Cameron, after conceding a last minutes goal, making the final result of the game 2-1.
The Egyptian Football National Team is expected to return back to Cairo on Monday.
