Defending champions Egypt got off to a superb start at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Tuesday with a convincing 4-2 victory over Cameroon here.
This Group C encounter pitched two countries who between them have won the Africa Cup of Nations nine times and in the end Egypt triumphed despite missing several key stars.

The Egyptians went ahead as early in the 14th minute via a penalty scored by Hosni Abd Rabou and increased their advantage two minutes later through Mohamed Zidan, who would further wreck havoc in first-half stoppage time with a left-footed cracker from outside the box for Egypt's third goal.
Cameroon pulled a goal back six minutes into the second half when Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o nodded home off a right cross by Geremi Njitap before Abd Rabou hit a fourth goal for Egypt with an 81st minute belter.
Eto'o gave the scoreline some respectability in the dying moments of the game when he netted from the penalty spot after an Egyptian defender was penalised for an infringement inside the box.

That took the Barcelona star's goal tally in the competition to 13, one short of the record set by the Ivory Coast's Laurent Pokou,
For Egypt the result was a clear signal that they hadn't come to Ghana to relinquish their title without a fight.
Man-of-the-match Zidan said: "Winning means a lot to me, to the team and to the whole country.
"We're a strong team, and we're not here to just be a member of the tournament, we're here to show we're strong enough to win the title for a second time in a row.
"We will give everything to our fans and the country."

Zidan would have given the defending champions a much earlier lead when he found himself well inside the box just moments after the kick-off by Cameroon but his indeciveness allowed the Indomitable Lions defence to clear the ball to safety.
Aly Shawky soon tested the reflexes of Kameni with a long-range drive but the Spain-based goalkeeper firmly held to the ball.
Egypt had the better of the early exchanges and got their just reward in the 14th minute when Bikey handled the ball inside the box for a penalty which Abd Rabou tucked away at the second attempt after his first effort was overruled by Gambian referee Madou Sowe.
Zidan attoned for his earlier hesitation inside the vital area by doubling the lead two minutes later when he fired home from a quick and beautifully worked counter attack.

Cameroon's play was disjointed even when they fought back so as to reduce the deficit. This forced their star striker Eto'o to often fall back into the midfield in sheer desperation.
They paid for their lacklustre display in time added on of the first half when the defence allowed Hamburg striker Zidan time and space to rattle home his second goal of the day with a blaster of a shot.
Cameroon brought on Alexandre Song for Stephane Mbia in the second half while Achille Emana took over from the ineffective Landrey Nguemo. These substitutions paid off almost immediately as the Indomitable Lions roared back to life through Eto'o's goal to set the tone for a more interesting contest.

Egypt at this point were more cautious going forward and preferred to sit back in defence as Cameroon kept coming at them. Eto'o's pile driver narrowly missed target in the 63rd minute while at the other end of the pitch a superb tackle by the durable Rigobert Song inside the box kept out Abdelnabi Ibrahim.
The Pharaohs now relied on fast breaks using the wings backs to launch such attacks as their opponents pressed on for a second goal.
It was the Egyptians who again got on the scoreboard through Abd Rabou in the 81st minute when he fired home from 30 metres to beat Kameni for the fourth goal before Eto grabbed his brace in the final minutes.