African media have revealed details about the water bottle used by Egyptian national team goalkeeper Mohamed Abu Jabal during the penalty shootout in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday evening. A video was circulated showing the bottle named "Abu Jabal" following the conclusion of the championship match.
The video clarified that the bottle had the names of all Senegalese players along with the locations where they had previously taken their penalties. Abu Jabal made headlines during the semi-final match against Cameroon, which the "Pharaohs" won. He relied on the water bottle, which had several notes written on it, before facing the penalties, successfully saving a significant number of penalty kicks throughout the tournament.
The goalie from Zamalek sparked a wave of reactions across various social media platforms, with many sharing images and videos of his impressive performance in the semi-final. After the match, Mohamed Abu Jabal expressed his sadness over losing the Africa Cup of Nations title, despite being awarded the Man of the Match for the Egypt vs. Senegal final. He stated, "The award has no value for me since it came after losing the Africa Cup of Nations title. We tried our best, but circumstances did not help us." Abu Jabal received the best player award in the match where the Egyptian team lost the Africa Cup of Nations title after a penalty shootout against Senegal, following a goalless draw in the original and extra time of the match held in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
