Sello Rabothata
The 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations has come and gone and the Pharaohs rule the continent once again.
As the continent, and other parts of the world, were glued to the spectacle the African Soccer Television show was there as usual to capture all the great moments for gogglebox viewers to savour on SABC Sport's Laduma programme on Sunday.
This weekend features the high-octane semifinals, third place playoff and the climax of the three-week tournament in the west African country of Ghana.
The Ghanaian Black Stars, who were favourites to snatch the coveted trophy because of home advantage, seemed on course as they lined up against a Cameroon side that had only showed patches of their potential.
But as the saying goes, all things come to an end at some stage and the fairytale saw the Indomitable Lions rise to the occasion and dim the home side's stars with a 1-0 victory.
The other favourites, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou's Ivory Coast, looked mean and lean as they swept everybody aside in arrogant fashion.
But they crumbled and died at the gates of glory to the marauding Egyptian Pharaohs whose mean machine was just unstoppable as reflected in the 4-1 scoreline.
It was a massacre!
There is a game that has always been dismissed as academic in football circles, and that is the third place playoffs in tournaments. But the locals were on cloud nine after Ghana came from behind to clobber Ivory Coast 4-2 to claim the "bronze".
Then, the final nobody predicted would take place, Cameroon versus Egypt.
The Pharaohs, with a little bit of help from Cameroon captain Rigobert Song, made history and created a new record in winning the Afcon for the sixth time via a Mohamed Aboutraika strike.
ASTV relives Afcon highs and lows
Sello Rabothata
The 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations has come and gone and the Pharaohs rule the continent once again.
As the continent, and other parts of the world, were glued to the spectacle the African Soccer Television show was there as usual to capture all the great moments for gogglebox viewers to savour on SABC Sport's Laduma programme on Sunday.
This weekend features the high-octane semifinals, third place playoff and the climax of the three-week tournament in the west African country of Ghana.
The Ghanaian Black Stars, who were favourites to snatch the coveted trophy because of home advantage, seemed on course as they lined up against a Cameroon side that had only showed patches of their potential.
But as the saying goes, all things come to an end at some stage and the fairytale saw the Indomitable Lions rise to the occasion and dim the home side's stars with a 1-0 victory.
The other favourites, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou's Ivory Coast, looked mean and lean as they swept everybody aside in arrogant fashion.
But they crumbled and died at the gates of glory to the marauding Egyptian Pharaohs whose mean machine was just unstoppable as reflected in the 4-1 scoreline.
It was a massacre!
There is a game that has always been dismissed as academic in football circles, and that is the third place playoffs in tournaments. But the locals were on cloud nine after Ghana came from behind to clobber Ivory Coast 4-2 to claim the "bronze".
Then, the final nobody predicted would take place, Cameroon versus Egypt.
The Pharaohs, with a little bit of help from Cameroon captain Rigobert Song, made history and created a new record in winning the Afcon for the sixth time via a Mohamed Aboutraika strike.