Egypt's qualification for the African Cup of Nations semi final is more important than any personal accolades, the team's most capped player Ahmed Hassan said on Monday. Skipper Hassan made his 170th appearance with the Pharaohs in their 3-1 victory over Cameroon to set a new Egyptian and African record. He gifted Cameroon the lead by heading into his own net but made amends by scoring twice, including an extra-time controversial goal, to help Egypt book a last four-berth and continue their bid for an unprecedented third Nations Cup title. "I'm very happy with that milestone, but happier with our win tonight," Hassan, who was voted man of the match, told Al-Jazeera after the game. "Egyptian people only care about the national team's results, which are more important than any personal glories." The Ahli midfielder, who scored three goals in the Nations Cup so far, surpassed Hossam Hassan's previous record of 169 international caps. He was full of praise for Egypt's all-time leading scorer Hossam, who is now managing Cairo giants Zamalek. "I learned a lot from Hossam, he set an example for all players to follow. His will and determination were exceptional," Hassan added. Substitute Mohamed Nagi 'Geddo', who also took his tally to three goals after coming off the bench to put Egypt ahead in the first half of extra time, was over the moon. "It was a very difficult match because Cameroon were looking to avenge their defeats against us. Thanks God for that win," the Ittihad man, who is linked with a move to Egyptian champions Ahli, said. Egypt, who will face fierce rivals Algeria in the semi final on Thursday, defeated Cameroon twice in their 2008 Nations Cup triumphant campaign.
