Defending champions Egypt kicked-off their African Cup of Nations campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over Cameroon, thanks to notable contributions from several players. In FilGoal.com player ratings, Egypt heroes Mohamed Zidan and Hosni Abd-Rabou were the highest-ranked players after scoring two goals each. Player Ratings Essam Al-Hadari (6): Failed in his sole two tests of the game, Samuel Eto'o header and penalty, but his presence remains a relief to the Egyptian team. Hani Saied (6): His presence was not felt but made no mistakes, unlike previous outings when he committed fatal errors. Wael Gomaa (5): He kept Cameroon defenders at bay but made some fatal mistakes, including the one that Eto'o scored from. The Barcelona striker lost his marker Gomaa and headed past Al-Hadari. Mahmoud Fathallah (5): Good start for the Zamalek defender, given that his international experience is little, but he can do better. Ahmed Fathi (6): Made some good runs but failed to make a single good cross. He was more effective when he was moved to midfield.
Sayed Moawad (5): Was tense, made a lot of mistakes, got a yellow card and only had one chance in the match. Mohamed Shawky (7): His presence and strength were felt in midfield and did a good job on the defense but failed to help in attack like Abd-Rabou. Hosni Abd-Rabou (9): Scored two goals, moved everywhere, created chances to his teammates. He could have done more on the defensive side. Mohamed Zidan (8.5): Scored two great goals and was lively in the first half but remains a bit selfish. Emad Meteb (7): Played an excellent first half and assisted a goal but his performance dropped in the second half Amr Zaki (6): His strength was much needed to hold the Cameroon defense, he did his job but was pulled off too early. Mohamed Abou-Treika (6): Did a great job holding the ball and frustrating the Cameroonians with his golden touches, but was not very effective in terms of attack. Ahmed Al-Muhammadi (7): Made some good runs and a neat cross that was not put to use. He also did well defensively. Shadi Mohamed: Not tested.
