Last Updated: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:46
Egypt assistant coach Shawky Garib paid tribute to his squad for winning the African Cup of Nations with a 1-0 success over Ghana.
The victory, given to them by a Mohamed Gedo goal five minutes from time, saw Egypt claim a record seventh Africa Cup of Nations title and third consecutive success.
Assistant Garib was full of praise for the Ghana squad, which was hit hard by injuries throughout the tournament, admitting that this year's tournament was the "most difficult" to win.
Garib insisted: "We said we were the champions from the first day we arrived in Angola, and we would defend our title.
"We have won three titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010. This was the most difficult of all of them."
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac admitted his young side were desperate to end their 28-year run without winning the tournament, but says a "lack of experience" showed in the final.