Cuper trying to ignore final record after Cameroon defeat

Hector Cuper is trying to put his record of six successive final defeats to the back of his mind after Egypt lost 2-1 to Cameroon in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title decider on Sunday.

The Argentine coach has not won a cup final since leading Lanus to the Copa CONMEBOL – South American’s second-tier club competition at the time – in 1996.

In 1997 his Mallorca side lost to Barcelona at the last hurdle in the Copa del Rey, before going on to lose to Lazio in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup the following season.

Cuper’s next club was Valencia and his hoodoo continued, losing the 2000 and 2001 Champions League finals against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively, before his fifth defeat came to Panathinaikos in the Greek Cup while at the helm of Aris.

Unsurprisingly he did not want to talk about the extension of that record after Sunday’s defeat in Libreville, and accepted Cameroon deserved to win.

“I congratulate Cameroon for winning the Cup,” he told a media conference.

“They have displayed a good performance and I think they deserved to win. Of course I’m upset with the loss but my deepest sorrow for the Egyptian people.

“I wanted to win this cup for them because I knew how much they wanted it, but also for the players because they’ve been great and fought until the end. Physical fitness didn’t save them.

“I don’t want to say anything about losing another final, I don’t want to say that I’m used to it now.

“Again I say I wanted to win and again I say that I’m disappointed because the Egyptian people are disappointed.”