Marmoush levelled the score for Egypt
Uzbekistan and Iran will contest the final of the four-team tournament on Tuesday after Al-Ahram Weekly went to press. Cape Verde had lost to Iran in the other semi-final.
Cape Verde took the lead against Egypt after six minutes when Garry Rodrigues converted a penalty after Mohamed Hani fouled inside the box.
Omar Marmoush equalised in the 57th minute as the Manchester City man was a live wire especially in the second half.
Osama Faysal was close to giving Egypt the lead in the 66th minute. The ball trickled in but the goal was ruled out for a foul on the Cape Verde goalkeeper.
After it became apparent the game was heading for penalty kicks, veteran Egyptian goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shenawi, much to his displeasure which he publically displayed, was replaced by the younger Mustafa Shobeir.
But the change proved a master stroke as Cape Verde failed to convert any of their four penalties.
They missed twice while Shobeir saved two.
Egypt defenders Hossam Abdel-Maguid and Mohamed Hamdi converted their penalties, while Marmoush and Faysal both missed.
The Pharaohs had lost to Uzbekistan 2-0 on Friday which coach Hossam Hassan attributed to individual mistakes.
The loss marked the second defeat under Hassan’s leadership, who has overseen 17 games since taking charge in February 2024. His first loss came against Luka Modric and Croatia 4-2 in a friendly tournament in March.
Hassan guided Egypt to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals and the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with 11 wins and four draws.
Egypt’s participation in the Al Ain Cup is part of their preparations for the AFCON which kicks off in Morocco in December.
The Pharaohs have been drawn in Group B where they will face Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Egypt are the record seven-time African champions.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s home-based national team concluded their preparations for the FIFA Arab Cup with a 0-0 draw against Algeria in a friendly at Cairo Stadium on Monday.
Egypt had defeated Algeria 3-2 on Friday in their first encounter.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) chose to field what is actually a B squad for the Arab Cup while the senior team focuses on preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations which will be held in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
In the Arab Cup, slated from 1-18 December in Qatar, Egypt were drawn into Group C where they will face Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and the winner of the qualifier between Mauritania and Kuwait.
Egypt finished in fourth place in the previous edition of the tournament.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 20 November, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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