Egypt has advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals after defeating defending champion Ivory Coast 3-2 on Saturday. The Pharaohs will face 2021 champion Senegal in the semifinals on Wednesday. Mohamed Salah scored his fourth goal of the tournament in the 52nd minute, which proved crucial as Ivory Coast threatened to mount a comeback.
The match got off to a poor start for Ivory Coast, with Franck Kessie losing the ball in midfield, leading to Omar Marmoush’s fourth-minute goal. Ramy Rabia then scored with a header from a corner in the 32nd minute, doubling Egypt’s lead. Ivory Coast pulled one back in the 40th minute through Ahmed Fotouh’s own goal, but Salah’s strike early in the second half restored Egypt’s two-goal cushion.
Ivory Coast reduced the deficit again in the 73rd minute through Guéla Doué’s goal, but Egypt held on to secure the win. The Pharaohs are bidding for a record-extending eighth Africa Cup of Nations title.
In another quarterfinal match, Nigeria defeated Algeria 2-0 to book its place in the semifinals. Victor Osimhen scored one goal and set up another for the Super Eagles, who will face either Morocco or Senegal in the next round. Osimhen’s goal in the second half was the first conceded by Algeria’s Luca Zidane in the tournament. Alex Iwobi’s pass to Osimhen led to the second goal, which was scored by Akor Adams.
Nigeria’s win marks a significant turnaround for the team, which failed to qualify for the World Cup. The Super Eagles are now bidding to win the Africa Cup of Nations title for the first time since 2013. Morocco and Senegal had already booked their semifinal places on Friday with wins over Cameroon and Mali, respectively. The semifinals are set to take place on Wednesday, with the final scheduled for next Sunday.
