Salah Shines as Egypt Edge Ivory Coast 3-2 in Thrilling AFCON Quarter-Final
Mohamed Salah was the hero for Egypt, scoring and setting up a goal as the Pharaohs held off a relentless Ivory Coast to claim a dramatic 3-2 quarter-final victory. Despite being outpaced and outpossessed at times, Egypt’s clinical finishing proved decisive against the Elephants’ territorial dominance.
The match started explosively. In the 4th minute, Omar Marmoush capitalized on a perfect pass from Emam Ashour, sprinted past the Ivorian defense, and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to give Egypt an early lead. Ivory Coast responded immediately, controlling possession and creating wave after wave of attacks. Diallo and Diomandé delivered multiple crosses, while Guessand tested Egypt’s backline, but goalkeeper El Shenawy and his defenders held firm.
Against the flow of the game, Ramy Rabia doubled Egypt’s lead in the 32nd minute, heading home a corner from Salah to make it 2-0. The Ivorians refused to surrender, and in the 40th minute, Yan Diomandé forced an own goal by Fatouh, bringing the score to 2-1 just before halftime.
The second half saw Ivory Coast pressing aggressively, but Egypt struck first. Salah, fed by Ashour again, calmly converted a low shot in the 47th minute, making it 3-1 and giving his team crucial breathing space.
Ivory Coast never gave up. Kessié, Fofana, and Diallo continually probed the Egyptian defense, and Guéla Doué pulled one back in the 73rd minute after a chaotic scramble in the box, setting up a tense finish at 3-2.
In the final moments, Ivory Coast bombarded Egypt’s goal with corners and crosses, but El Shenawy and his backline stood firm, despite warnings for time-wasting, preserving the victory.
Egypt, dominant in efficiency despite being pressed, advance to the semi-finals, reinforcing their status as the record-holding nation in the competition.
Post-Match Reactions:
Mohamed Salah (TotalEnergies Man of the Match):
“I’m proud of my teammates. We always aim to bring joy to Egyptian fans and believe we can win every game with the right mindset. The Ivorians played like champions, but we gave everything and managed to qualify. I try to use my experience to inspire the team, and we always give our all.”
Émerse Fae (Ivory Coast Coach):
“We are frustrated with the result. We made mistakes at crucial moments, conceding early goals that hurt us. We fought back to 2-1, but the third goal put us in trouble. We’ll continue preparing for the World Cup and work on our concentration.”
Hossam Hassan (Egypt Coach):
“Every match is like a final for us. I’m proud of the players’ effort. Our preparation worked, respecting the reigning champions and executing our game plan. We made some mistakes but scored three goals; we will correct the shortcomings moving forward.”
