There had been a lot of talk about Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon as the favourites for the African Nations Cup but Egypt, the defending champions, were under the radar until their 4-2 thrashing of Cameroon yesterday in Kumasi.

The Pharaohs have emerged as one of the tournament’s heavyweights — as Soccerphile notes, they’re clearly not going to give up their title without a fight — while Cameroon have lost a lot of credit.

It could have been worse for the Indomitable Lions, who were simply nowhere to be seen in the first half. It took 45 minutes for coach Otto Pfister to reshuffle his midfield and by then it was too late. Leaving the influential Achille Emana on the bench was a huge and costly mistake.

Cameroon were totally outplayed in midfield, leaving Hosni Abd Rabou free to roam untroubled. Mohamed Zidan also outshone Samuel Eto’o, with the Barcelona striker cut off from his usual ball providers.

OK, Eto’o had the personal satisfaction of scoring twice and now is one goal shy of Laurent Pokou’s Nations Cup record of 14. But who will care if Cameroon don’t make it to the knockout stage?

Luckily for them, their next games are against Zambia and Sudan, both comfortable looking assignments. But what do you think? Can Cameroon still make it through to the next phase? Or will they remain shell-shocked by Egypt’s brilliant display. Let us know in the comments below.

Julien Pretot is covering the African Nations Cup for Reuters. Check out our main soccer site for full coverage.

PHOTO: Samuel Eto’o attempts to control the ball during the match against Egypt, Kumasi, January 22, 2008. REUTERS/Bruno Domingos

SLIDESHOW: Click here for the pick of pics from the tournament so far.