Egypt crowns African Nations under 23 for the first time
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt defeated Cote d'Ivoire 2-1 on Friday to win the African Under-23 Nations Cup for the first time in their history.
Pharaohs Karim El Iraqi scored the right-back in the 36th minute and Abu Bakr Doumbia tied for the elephants in the 89th minute. Ramadan Subhi advanced in the 114th minute to seal the Egyptian team led by coach Shawki Gharib for the first time.
Three teams also qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire and South Africa.
The match was characterized by intense clarity and struggle from the players of the two teams, and a public commitment to draw a distinctive artistic painting in the encouragement and sportsmanship.
The two teams made a cautious start in the first quarter of an hour and the Egyptian team tried to dominate the midfield and imposed tactical but not dangerous, while the Ivorian team relied on the abilities of fast-back Silas Gnaka, who led the launches across the left front.
There appeared to be an early conflict in the right front of the Egyptian team with the progress of the pair Karim Iraqi and Abdul Rahman Magdi offensive and the presence of an Ivorian offensive tendency through the left-back Silas, and the Iraqi missed the first attempt after the receipt of a wonderful but was in the hands of the keeper.
Mustapha Mohamed asked for a penalty after a shot from the face and the defender pushed him out amid a demand for a hand.
The Ivorian striker Yusuf Dow fell in the penalty area, demanding a penalty that was not counted by the referee, and another missed opportunity from Ramadan.
