Egypt are through to the AFCON 2025 semi-finals after edging Ivory Coast 3–2 in a gripping quarter-final clash played in Morocco, a match that reminded everyone why tournament football is never about possession stats, but moments.
The Pharaohs wasted no time. Omar Marmoush struck inside four minutes, setting the tone for a ruthless Egyptian start. Ivory Coast dominated the ball, but Egypt were sharp, direct and clinical. Ramy Rabia powered in a header on 32 minutes before an unfortunate Ahmed Aboul-Fatouh own goal briefly gave the Ivorians hope.
Then came the man for big occasions. Mohamed Salah restored Egypt’s two-goal cushion early in the second half, calmly finishing to make it 3–1 and silence Ivory Coast’s momentum. A late strike from Guela Doué made the final minutes nervy, but Egypt held firm.
Ivory Coast enjoyed 71% possession, completed nearly three times as many passes and peppered the box with crosses, yet Egypt showed tournament intelligence, defend deep, strike fast, protect the lead.
With this win, Egypt join Senegal, Morocco and Nigeria in a heavyweight AFCON semi-final line-up. Experience, discipline and star power are all clicking for the Pharaohs.
Four giants remain. No favourites. Only pressure.
AFCON 2025 is now wide open, and Egypt are exactly where they love to be.
Leave a Reply