AfriPulse
Egypt brought the curtain down on Ivory Coast’s title defence at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a gripping 3-2 quarter-final win on Friday night, January 10, setting up a mouth-watering semi-final against Senegal.
The seven-time champions wasted no time in stamping their authority on the game, striking inside four minutes through Omar Marmoush. The forward latched onto a neat delivery from Emam Ashour and finished calmly to give Egypt an early advantage.
Ivory Coast struggled to settle as Egypt continued to press, and the pressure told again in the 32nd minute when defender Ramy Rabia rose highest to power home a header from a corner, with Mohamed Salah providing the assist.
Just when the Pharaohs appeared to be cruising, the game took an unexpected twist five minutes before the interval. A defensive mix-up saw Ahmed Aboul-Fatouh divert the ball into his own net, reducing the deficit and giving the Elephants renewed belief going into the break.
Egypt, however, emerged from halftime with renewed focus. Seven minutes after the restart, Salah restored the two-goal cushion with a composed finish following another incisive pass from Ashour.
Ivory Coast refused to bow out quietly. Dominating possession and pushing numbers forward, they finally found a way back in the 73rd minute when defender Guela Doué fired home to make it 3-2 and set up a tense finale.
The closing stages were frantic, with the defending champions throwing everything at Egypt’s back line. Goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy was called into action and later booked for time-wasting deep into stoppage time as Egypt managed the clock expertly to see out the game.
Despite enjoying 71 per cent possession and registering more shots, the Ivory Coast were undone by Egypt’s clinical edge and defensive resilience. The Pharaohs finished the match with just six shots but made four of them count on target.
The victory sends Egypt into the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, where they will face Senegal on Wednesday, January 14.
Source: Naijanews.com | Read the Full Story…
