The Pharaohs defeated hosts Cameroon 3-1 on penalties following a goalless draw on Thursday to set up another mouthwatering clash against Senegal in the final.

Egypt played an extra time for the third successive game following their shootout win over Cote d'Ivoire in the round of 16 and 2-1 comeback victory over Morocco in the quarters.

The team had to contend with some unfortunate circumstances, having lost some key players during the course of the tournament.

Regular right-back Akram Tawfik suffered a serious knee injury in the opening 1-0 loss to Nigeria before Egypt also lost first-choice keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi in the round of 16.  

Experienced defender Ahmed Hegazi also was ruled out for the rest of the tournament after picking up a groin injury against Morocco.

"We played amid very hard circumstances but we managed to overcome all difficulties," Trezeguet, who himself had just returned from a lengthy injury layoff ahead of the Nations Cup, told beIN Sports after the game.

"We played 120 minutes for three straight games but we remained fully focused on getting the job done."

The 27-year-old, who was a member of the Egypt team that lost the 2017 final against Cameroon, said the players had learned a lot from their previous experience and that they are ready to win the title.

"We will play against Senegal with a big determination as we learned from the loss to Cameroon in 2017," he added.