Golden substitute and master tactician that secured Egypt’s historic AFCON treble

As Egypt gear up for AFCON 2025 in Morocco, memories return to the unforgettable 2010 triumph against Ghana in Luanda that completed a unique hat-trick of African titles under Hassan Shehata.

Back then, hopes were low after the World Cup 2010 failure and a wave of absences, with stars like Aboutrika, Barakat, Amr Zaki and Mido all missing.

Instead of breaking the team, those setbacks forged a hungry squad that swept through the tournament. Egypt topped their group with three wins over Nigeria, Mozambique and Benin, then demolished Cameroon 3–1 in the quarterfinals and thrashed Algeria 4–0 in a cathartic semi-final.

In the final against Ghana in Luanda, patience and Shehata’s calm management paid off when super‑sub Mohamed Nagy “Gedo” struck the late winner.

That campaign produced staggering records: six wins from six, extending Egypt’s AFCON unbeaten run to 19 games, a first victory over Nigeria since 1977 and landmark away wins over Algeria and Cameroon.

Shehata became the first coach to win three straight AFCON titles, while Ahmed Hassan was named best player for a second time and Essam El‑Hadary took a third consecutive best goalkeeper award.

Gedo, the “golden substitute”, finished top scorer with five goals in just 168 minutes on the pitch, writing his name into AFCON folklore.