A whole country was waiting for Mohamed Salah, he can thank Gabaski.
Mohamed Qotb Abou Gabal Ali, his full name, was the man of the match in the Cameroon-Egypt semi-final (0-0, 1-3 on tab) this Thursday evening.
On his own, the 33-year-old doorman, replacing at the start of the competition, carried the Pharaohs to a new CAN final after a penalty shootout where he displayed his appetite for exercise.
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Africa Cup of Nations: schedule and results
African Cup of Nations standings
After losing to the first attempt of local captain Vincent Aboubakar, the goalkeeper of Zamalek (African champion 2021) repelled on his left the attempts of Stéphanois Harold Moukoudi then James Léa-Siliki.
Sometimes on the ground then halfway up, the Egyptian porter then took advantage of the clumsiness of Clinton Njié, who shot wide.
A pressure undoubtedly inherent in the success of the Egyptian goalkeeper, who had clearly prepared his penalty shootout well since the cameras focused on his water bottle, where cheat sheets, in the form of post-its, were stuck on to remind him of the habits of Cameroonian shooters.
Resilience
A skillful technique which had already enabled him to parry Eric Bailly's penalty in the round of 16 against Côte d'Ivoire (0-0, 5-4 on pens), where he entered in the 88th minute to replace the holder Mohamed El-Shenawy, injured. Also affected against Morocco in the quarterfinals (2-1, ap), Gabaski, who only knows his sixth selection, held his place despite pain against Cameroon. Saved in turn by his uprights (18th, 70th), this showman showed rare resilience and clearly had the gods of football with him in Olembé on Thursday, where he donned the costume of the Cameroonian dream breaker. He can now dream of bringing the Pharaohs to the roof of Africa for the eighth time in history (a record) against Senegal, who will have every interest in avoiding a penalty shootout.
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