In what was arguably the most exciting game in the tournament thus far, Egypt dethroned defending champions Côte d’Ivoire 3-2 on Saturday to reach the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) being staged in Morocco.
Egypt, the record seven-time holder of the crown, were scheduled to face Senegal on 14 January in Tangier.
The other semi-final was to be played between Morocco and Nigeria, also on Wednesday in Rabat.
Both semi-finals were to be played after Al-Ahram Weekly went to press.
The final will be played on 18 January.
Against Côte d’Ivoire in Agadir in the quarter-finals, Egypt played their best game in the tournament to date, getting on the score sheet first, in only the fourth minute.
Egypt made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute before Côte d’Ivoire pulled one back through an own goal late in the first half.
Egypt made it a two-goal lead again in the 52nd minute before Côte d’Ivoire struck again in the 73rd following a goalmouth scramble.
Despite pressure from the Ivorian offense and coming back twice from two-goal deficits, their equaliser never came and Egypt held on for a famous win.
Egypt got off to the best of starts when Omar Marmoush eluded Odilon Kossounou who fell over himself and slotted home from close range past Yahia Fofana.
There are times when a goal scored very early acts as a poisoned chalice. Egypt, known for their strong defence and also well known for not willing to take the risk to extend a lead, could have parked the bus for the last 86 minutes.
For a while it looked like Egypt would rather defend then go for more when Rami Rabia blocked a sure point-blank goal but then, against the run of play, scored himself with a header from a corner in the 32nd, doubling the lead. Rabia’s goal looked very similar to the looping header that his defender partner Yasser Ibrahim scored against Benin in the round of 16.
Egypt looked certain to go into the half protecting their 2-0 lead but fate had other ideas. In the 40th minute Egypt defender Ahmed Fottouh bundled in a dangerous free kick from Yan Diomande for an own goal on the goal line to cut the lead in half and give the Ivorians a lifeline.
It has been a wretched tournament for Fottouh defensively. Against Benin, a high pass from the right side struck him, leading to a wicked deflection that helped give Benin their only goal.
On Saturday, Egypt restored their two-goal lead in the 52nd minute when skipper Mohamed Salah received a sublime pass from Emam Ashour which set up the oncoming captain who swept the ball in.
But Côte d’Ivoire came back again, this time when Guéla Doué slickly used his heel in a goalmouth scramble to get the ball past goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shinnawi in the 73rd.
But that was all Côte d’Ivoire could muster. There was no way back this time for the side which lifted the trophy two years ago.
Saturday’s was the 12th meeting between the two nations at the Africa Cup of Nations, making it the most frequently played fixture in the tournament’s history.
The weight of history was always tilting heavily in Egypt’s favour. Heading into the game, Egypt had a dominant record against their opponents. After this victory, the North Africans have now played Côte d’Ivoire 12 times in AFCON and lost just once.
One of the most memorable encounters came in the 2006 final on Egyptian soil, when the Pharaohs claimed their fifth AFCON title by beating Cote d’Ivoire 4-2 on penalties.
On an interesting sideline note, the current coaches of Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire, Hossam Hassan and his Ivorian counterpart Emerse Fae, faced each other as players during that 2006 tournament.
Hassan told a post-match press conference on Saturday that the team treated every match as if it were a final. “That’s how we approach every game. Every match is different, and we adapt to each opponent.
“Our preparation made the difference,” Hassan said. “We knew they were the reigning champions. We respected them and put a game plan in place, which worked today. It’s true we also made mistakes in the match that cost us two goals, but we scored three,” Hassan added.
Hassan also defended his use of five defenders. “We started playing with five defenders from the second match against South Africa. This approach is not only for defending. It also helps us attack better.”
He rejected criticism that the system is overly cautious, insisting it provides balance across the pitch.
“Many think the five-defender system is purely defensive, but that is not true,” he said. “It gives us defensive solidity and attacking threat at the same time, and helps us control the game.”
Hassan also claimed his tactical approach has influenced other teams at the tournament. “I was among the first to use this system here,” he said with a smile. “After we succeeded with it, other teams started to follow, including Cameroon.”
Fae described the result as frustrating. “We had prepared our players to face this Egyptian team, but we made far too many mistakes at key moments in the match to hope to eliminate them.”
“What hurts most tonight are those mistakes. It took us some time to get into the match. I regret conceding the first goal so early, as well as the second. We reacted well by coming back to 2-1 before halftime. But the third goal put us in trouble. It’s hard to explain these lapses in concentration. We will continue to work to prepare for the World Cup.”
Against Côte d’Ivoire, Salah nabbed his fourth goal of the tournament, his best total at an AFCON— and 11 overall, giving him 66 international goals, three less than his coach Hassan.
In Morocco, Salah has enjoyed renewed vigour, apparently leaving his recent criticism of sitting on the bench behind in Liverpool.
Salah, 33, was on board when Egypt lost final AFCON games against Cameroon in 2017 and Senegal in 2021. It means unfinished business for Salah who has never won the AFCON but just about everything else at club level.
The Pharaohs’ AFCON journey this year began with finishing top of Group B with seven points, after securing victories over Zimbabwe (2-1) and South Africa (1-0), along with a draw against Angola (0-0). In the round of 16, Egypt beat Benin 3-1.
Egypt are bidding for a record-extending eighth title. At one time starting in 2006, Egypt won the AFCON an unprecedented three times in a row. But they have not won the title since 2010.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 January, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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