Mohammed Abou-Gabal, Egypt’s number two shot-stopper, started between the sticks as Egypt came from behind to defeat Morocco 2-1 in the AFCON quarter-finals match in Yaounde on Saturday, thanks to goals from Mohammed Salah and Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet.
Mohamed El-Shennawy, the team’s first-choice goalkeeper, was unavailable due to a hamstring strain.
Abou-Gabi, who replaced El-Shennawy, was not put to the test much, but he was able to make some crucial saves on the few occasions the Moroccans fired at the post.
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In one of those saves, the Zamalek goalkeeper miraculously kept out a dangerous header by Nayef Agurad before it was cleared away in the second half when the score was still 1-1.
Abou-Gabal fell twice after the save but refused to be changed.
He was eventually unable to finish the game as coach Queiroz substituted him for youth international Mohamed Sobhi. The Egyptian bench was taken aback by this.
However, as the Pharaohs prepare for tomorrow’s semi-final match against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in Yaounde, Abou-Gabal has declared that he will be available for the tense encounter.
“I only had a minor muscle cramp, and I am ready to play, God willing, in the semi-finals against Cameroon on Thursday,” he said.
The shot-stopper believes the team’s unity, organization, and winning spirit will carry them past the host team in their match tomorrow.
The match, dubbed “the final before the final,” will take place at Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium.
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