Egypt 4-1 Ivory Coast...shock horror!!
Egypt will meet Cameroon in the final after stunning tournament favourites Ivory Coast in an engrossing contest.
Ahmed Fathi put the defending champions ahead on 12 minutes with a strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Amr Zaki made it 2-0 with a header after the break, but Kader Keita pulled a goal back a minute later with a stunning 25-yard strike.
Zaki scored another from the edge of the area, and Mohamed Aboutrika added the fourth in stoppage time.
Earlier Cameroon, who lost 4-2 to Egypt in their opening group game, beat Ghana 1-0.
Egypt goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadari had a superb game and he made at least two world-class saves at key moments of the game to keep his side ahead.
In contrast the Ivory Coast goalkeeper Boubacar Barry had to be substituted in the first half due to injury and his replacement, the inexperienced goalkeeper Stephan Loboue, looked at fault for Egypt's second and third goals.
Kolo Toure returned to the Ivory Coast defence, but was not at his sharpest, and he too was badly at fault for Egypt's third goal.
Egypt took a more physical approach to the game than usual, deciding to take on the Elephants' power.
Didier Drogba worked his way into the penalty area in the 11th minute, but goalkeeper Al-Hadari had the shot covered.
The Pharoahs went ahead a minute later when a corner was not cleared decisively and after the ball came to Fathi he fired it in at the near post.
Al-Hadari used his body to save a Drogba shot from six yards out, then at the other end, a 20-yard left-footer from Mohamed Aboutrika went narrowly wide.
Egypt continued to maintain their presence in the game with confident, incisive play, and there was a blow for Ivory Coast in the 37th minute.
Barry had to be replaced with Loboue, playing his first competitive international, having not featured for his German second division club all season.
But the Elephants were unlucky not to equalise in first-half stoppage time.
Drogba headed a corner goalwards with astonishing power, but the ball went straight into Al-Hadari's body, and, with Aruna Dindane ready to pounce, it was cleared away by Hosni Abd Rabou.
Al-Hadari stopped another Drogba header with a brilliant fingertip save three minutes into the second half.
The Ivory Coast pressure intensified and on the hour Al-Hadari had to punch Arthur Boka's inswinging free-kick over bar.
Zaki made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute after Ahmed Hassan swung in a corner that Didier Zokora tried to clear at the near post.
The ball went to Zaki, who headed in off the crossbar with Loboue not moving an inch.
Ivory Coast responded seconds later, when Keita was given room to dribble across to a central position and he unleashed a thunderbolt from 25 yards.
Zaki restored the two-goal advantage after Toure fatally turned his back on the ball allowing the striker to scored from 20 yards.
Ivory Coast applied continual pressure but Egypt held firm, and with the Elephants committed to attack, Aboutrika scored in stoppage time from an Egypt break.
Few would have predicted the scoreline, and the Pharaoh's defence of the trophy remains on course.
Ivory Coast: Barry (Loboue 37), Boka, Toure, Eboue, Meite, Toure Yaya, Zokora, Kalou (Bakari Kone 60), Drogba, Dindane (Arouna Kone 79), Keita.
Subs Not Used: Tiassa Kone, Djakpa, Fae, Gervinho, Gohouri, Romaric, Sanogo, Tiene, Zoro.
Goals: Keita 63.
Egypt: El Hadari, Mohamed, Hany Said, Fathi, Hassan, Moawad (Fathallah 77), Gomaa, Abd Rabou, Aboutriaka, Moteab (Zidan 69), Zaki (Ibrahim Said 86).
Subs Not Used: Sobhy, Abdel Monssef, El Mohamady, El Saeed, Fadl, Gamal, Mostafa, Shaaban, Shawky.
Goals: Fathi 12, Zaki 62, 67, Aboutriaka 90.
Att: 30,000
Ref: Eddy Maillet (Seychelles).
Bikey to miss final after shove
Cameroon defender Andre Bikey will miss the Africa Cup of Nations final for pushing over a medic during his team's 1-0 semi-final win over Ghana.
The 23-year-old was sent off during injury time when he shoved an attendant who was trying to treat injured team-mate Rigobert Song.
Bikey appeared to take issue with how quickly Song was being placed on a stretcher by the medical officals.
Ghana were desperately looking for an equaliser at the time of the incident.
Bikey, who plays for Reading in the English Premier League, was pelted with water bottles as he left the pitch and needed a police escort down the tunnel.
But it is thought he will stay in Ghana to support his team-mates rather than return home to help Reading who play Everton on Saturday.
Song was injured when he fell heavily after a collision with Ghana striker Junior Agogo and his own goalkeeper and a small team of medical staff, including a buggy, were called onto the pitch to help the defender.
A dispute seemed to develop between Cameroon's own medical team and the pitch-side officials about where to treat Song - either on or off the pitch.
But the argument was interrupted by Bikey when he pushed one of the pitch-side officials, who fell to the floor.
Referee Abderrahim El Arjoune from Morocco had little choice but to send off the defender.
Bikey's red card was only the third dismissal of the tournament.
come on cameroon in the final and well done ghana
I cant believe that Egypt knocked out Ivory coast!! so for me I will stick with Egypt!! will watch the final deffo!! :eng:
cameroon will win 3-1 :clap:
Egypt 1-0 Cameroon
Defending champions Egypt won a record sixth Africa Cup of Nations with a fully-deserved victory over Cameroon.
The only goal of the game came in the 77th minute, with Mohamed Aboutrika pushing home a Mohamed Zidan pass after a mistake by Cameroon's Rigobert Song.
The Pharaohs become the first side to win back-to-back titles twice, and Hassan Shehata only the second coach to win successive trophies.
Cameroon were seeking a fifth title, but rarely troubled the Pharaohs.
Egypt had much the better of the first half, creating most of the scoring chances with their mobility.
Cameroon again based their game on physical power, taking a defensive approach that supplied few openings to lone striker Samuel Eto'o.
Mohamed Aboutrika came close on 13 minutes, with a 35-yard shot that was pushed around the post by Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.
Two minutes later the Indomitable Lions were forced to make a substitution, with Gilles Binya replacing Alexandre Song, who was carrying an injury from the previous game.
Cameroon defender Geremi forced a save from Essam Al-Hadari from a free-kick, but the Pharaohs almost took the lead seconds later.
Hadari's clearance found Emad Moteab, whose 15-yard shot was parried brilliantly by Kameni, but into the path of Mohamed Aboutrika, whose shot was too high.
Nine minutes before half-time a ball over the Cameroon defence found Moteab inside the area, Kameni made a fine save from the shot, and it remained goalless.
Cameroon came back from the break with purpose, causing the tempo of the match to increase considerably, but Egypt quickly took control of the game again.
Kameni had to make two more fine saves, from a close-range Amr Zaki shot, then from Hosni Abd-Rabou's 25-yard cracker that he punched away.
The Pharoahs continued to pile on pressure, and Abd-Rabou hit the post with a header on 61 minutes.
With 13 minutes remaining, Egypt finally got the goal they deserved.
Cameroon captain Rigobert Song was punished for untidy defending, losing a tussle with substitute Zidan.
Zidan pushed the ball along the edge of the box into the path of Aboutrika, who had a simple finish from 15 yards.
As Egypt celebrated, Song covered his face with his shirt, knowing that he should have cleared the ball away.
Song headed over the bar in stoppage-time, but there was to be no redemption for the defender, in his seventh Nations Cup.
