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Egypt won its record sixth African Cup of Nations title, capturing its second championship in a row with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in the final Sunday, February 9th, 2008. Mohamed Aboutreika scored in the 77th minute. “It is a great feeling to score for the country,” said Aboutreika, who also netted the winning penalty kick in the 2006 title game, against Ivory Coast.”
“It’s not about me scoring goals, but it’s about all the players and the 80 million people supporting us back home.”
Egyptians poured into the streets in Cairo and throughout the country waving flags late Sunday to celebrate the victory.
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Nations Cup (ANC) is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been held every two years. In 1957 there were only three participating nations: Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Egypt is the most successful nation in the cup's history, winning the tournament a record six times. Ghana and Cameroon have won four titles each.
Three different trophies have been awarded during the tournament's history, with Ghana and Cameroon winning the first two versions to keep after each of them won a tournament three times. The current trophy was first awarded in 2002.
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