When Egypt set a pair of tournament records at the Cup of Nations
This day in football history
On 31 January 2010, Egypt won the Africa Cup of Nations with a record 19 consecutive unbeaten match in the tournament, a streak that dated back to 2004.
The run of unbeaten games started in February 2004, when they played to a scoreless draw with Cameroon in the last group-stage match (which was also Egypt’s last match of that competition, as they failed to advance). And it continued through the 2006 and 2008 tournaments, both of which Egypt won (their fifth and sixth trophies overall).
Then, in 2010, they remained unbeaten to reach the final, where they faced Ghana. Played before a crowd of 50,000 at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in the Angolan capital of Luanda, the match remained scoreless until the 85th minute, when substitute midfielder Mohamed “Gedo” Nagy scored to put Egypt up 0–1. They held on to that margin to claim their record third consecutive Cup of Nations and seventh title overall.
In addition to being their 19th unbeaten match, it was also their record ninth consecutive win in the tournament. Both streaks remain active as Egypt has failed to qualify for any subsequent Cup of Nations.
