| Event | 1959 African Cup of Nations | ||||||
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| Date | 29 May 1959 | ||||||
| Venue | Prince Farouk Stadium, Cairo | ||||||
| Referee | Zivko Bajic (Yugoslavia) | ||||||
| Attendance | 30,000 | ||||||
United Arab Republic v Sudan was the decisive match of group stage at the 1959 African Cup of Nations. The match was played at the Prince Farouk Stadium in Cairo on 29 May 1959. Unlike other Africa Cup of Nations, the 1959 winner was determined by a group stage, with three teams playing in round-robin format, instead of a knockout stage. This was the first edition to feature a final group stage and one of two, alongside the 1976 African Cup of Nations, to promote this format.
Both teams had defeated Ethiopia but the goal difference was in favour of United Arab Republic, who had beaten Ethiopia 4-0 while Sudan had won 1–0. Therefore, Sudan needed to win the last match to claim the title of champions of Africa; any other result would have the United Arab Republic retain the title they had won (as Egypt) in 1957.
United Arab Republic beat Sudan 2−1, therefore keeping first place in the group and winning their second consecutive title.[1][2]
- ^ "Football - Match CAF Nations Cup : Egypt vs. Sudan". Footballdatabase.eu. 1959-05-29. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ^ "African Nations Cup 1959". Rsssf.com. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2016-08-15.