-
Ed Dove
Mohamed Salah netted his fourth goal of the Africa Cup of Nations as Egypt triumphed over the defending champions Ivory Coast, winning 3-2 in Agadir. This victory sets up a semifinal clash against Senegal, led by Sadio Mane, on Wednesday.
The Pharaohs are aiming to reclaim the title they last won in 2010, and they started strong with Omar Marmoush scoring early. Rami Rabia then doubled the lead shortly after the half-hour mark, heading in a corner delivered by Salah.
Just before halftime, an own goal by Ahmed Abou El Fotouh gave Ivory Coast a lifeline. However, Salah quickly restored Egypt’s two-goal lead with a close-range effort in the 52nd minute, before Guela Doue’s clever flick 17 minutes from time gave the Elephants a glimmer of hope.
In the end, Ivory Coast was unable to find an equalizer, bringing their title defense to a close after five matches. Egypt will now prepare for a rematch against Senegal, a repeat of the 2019 final, in Tanger on January 14.
Marmoush opened the scoring brilliantly in the fourth minute, showcasing his skills after Hamdy Fathy’s interception of Franck Kessie’s pass led to a quick advance. He combined well with Emam Ashour before racing past Odilon Kossounou, who faltered in defense, to finish past the oncoming Yahia Fofana.
With Ivory Coast visibly rattled by their early deficit, Marmoush almost earned a penalty shortly after, being brought down in the box, but the danger was averted due to an offside call.
The tension intensified in the 32nd minute when Doue’s back header to Fofana went wrong under pressure from Marmoush. Salah delivered a precise corner that Rabia connected with to head in Egypt’s second goal.
Ivory Coast regained some hope in the 40th minute when Ashour fouled Yan Diomande, who then converted a well-taken freekick. Kossounou flicked it towards goal, and El Fotouh’s unfortunate deflection sent the ball past Mohamed El Shenawy.
However, just seven minutes into the second half, Salah struck again, connecting perfectly with Ashour’s exquisite through ball. He evaded Ghislain Konan and slid the ball past Fofana to restore Egypt’s two-goal advantage.
The match became disjointed as Egypt aimed to slow the game down, while Ivory Coast struggled to regain their rhythm. Emerse Fae made tactical adjustments, bringing on Paris FC’s Jean-Philippe Krasso in an effort to turn the tide.
Ivory Coast’s revival began in the 73rd minute when Doue reacted quickly to a corner situation, flicking the ball home after El Shenawy had denied a header from Ibrahim Sangare.
Following this goal, Egypt focused on defense, seizing every opportunity to break the momentum of the Ivorians. Despite Fae introducing Vakoun Bayo, a header directed at El Shenawy did not change the outcome, as Egypt’s hard-fought win secured Salah’s path towards potentially claiming his first Nations Cup title.