Côte d’Ivoire coach Emerse Fae expressed his frustration after his team’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, blaming fatal mistakes for the dramatic loss to Egypt in the quarter-finals.
Seven-time African champions Egypt extended their undefeated streak in the prestigious continental tournament as they defeated holders Côte d’Ivoire 3–2 at Le Grand Stade Agadir on Saturday, setting up a semi-final showdown with Senegal.
“We are frustrated by tonight’s result. 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,” Fae was quoted as saying by CAF’s official website after the game.
Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush opened the scoring for Egypt early in the first half, followed by defender Rami Rabia doubling the lead just two minutes after the half-hour mark.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah added a third goal in the 52nd minute to net his 11th AFCON goal and equal Hossam Hassan’s record in the tournament. Côte d’Ivoire responded with an own goal from defender Ahmed Fatouh just four minutes before the break and a second goal from Guela Doué in the 73rd minute.
“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 half-time. But the third goal put us in trouble. It’s hard to explain these lapses in concentration,” the Elephants coach added.
“We will continue to work to prepare for the World Cup,” Fae concluded.
Having reached their 17th semi-final, the Pharaohs will look for revenge against Senegal, who beat them in the 2021 AFCON final.
Egypt will face Senegal in the semi-finals of the tournament on Wednesday, following the Teranga Lions’ 1–0 victory over Mali.
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