From the standout match, player and goal through to personal highlights, disappointments and more, here is the verdict on the contest in GabonEgypt 1-2 Cameroon The best was saved until last. This was a watchable tournament throughout but, with almost an hour of the final played, Egypt appeared to be seeing it out to a conclusion that, given some of the attacking football on view from other sides, was not necessarily the most palatable. Then came an out-of-the-blue equaliser from Nicolas Nkoulou, a whirlwind of an onslaught from Cameroon in the final 30 minutes and a goal from Vincent Aboubakar that will bear replaying over and over again. All in front of a full house, largely peopled by Cameroonian expats,...
Liverpool winger Sadio Mané gives Senegal an unpredictable edge that has helped them reach the quarter-finals in Gabon after only two matchesAs soon as Tunisia’s win over Algeria was over, the Senegal fans filed into a corner of the stadium. They had no need to wait – one ticket gets you into both parts of the double-header – but some sense of courtesy seemed to hold them back. They are, after all, by some way the noisiest fans in Group B and within seconds of turning their block of seats yellow, green and red, had set up a rhythmic drumming and whistling that they maintained until the final whistle. By then, the game had long since been won: 2-0 was...
Liverpool, Manchester United, Sunderland, Leicester and others may be hit by loss of players to tournament as clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester City capitaliseNow is the time for top clubs to prove that to be forewarned really is to be forearmed. Everyone knew that the Africa Cup of Nations was on the agenda for early 2017 and now, with 23 Premier League players among those heading off to Gabon to compete for their countries in what their employers view as the world’s worst-timed international tournament, rich clubs must show they are resourceful enough to cope. Otherwise they will pay a heavy price. Related: Liverpool’s matchwinner Sadio Mané will head to Gabon with a heavy heart Related: Wilfried Zaha accepts Ivory...