The Hamburg striker scored twice and Hosni Abd-Rabou added another brace as Egypt beat Cameroon 4-2 in Group C opener on Tuesday.

"It's a game that we've been waiting a long time for, we are a strong team and we're coming here to defend our title," Zidan told BBC World Service.

Zidan didn't play in Egypt 2006 when the Pharaohs won their fifth title to set a new African record.

The 26-year-old forward said all the players wanted to make their fans proud.

"We're giving everything we have, for our fans for our country, and I'm sure that we are going to reach the final," he said.

"We want to show we are strong enough to win it a second time in a row."

The defending champions play Sudan, who were humiliated 3-0 by Zambia, in their next game.