Salah's Egypt set up mouth-watering AFCON semi-final
by KickOff Reporter · KickOffEgypt booked their spot in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after defeating Ivory Coast 3-2 on Saturday night.
Pharaohs restored Ahmed El Fotouh, Hossam Abdelmaguid and Emam Ashour to the eleven after the win over Benin, with the defending champions unchanged.
The Elephants were caught napping on four minutes as a turnover in midfield saw Ashour take aim to release Omar Marmoush who stepped inside of his marker to finish smartly.
Egypt grabbed further control past the half-hour mark when a surging corner found Ramy Rabi and the towering defender outjumped Ibrahim Sangare to head home.
The Elephants got a lifeline minutes before halftime where El Fotouh attempted to clear their lines following a cross into the area but ended up finding his own net.
Egypt wasn’t overawed five minutes into the second half as Mohamed Salah restored their two-goal cushion with a composed finish from a delightful pass by Ashour, who was played in by Rabia's superb long-ball over the top.
With their backs to the wall, the Elephants went to the bench after 70 minutes and hauled in Jean-Philippe Krasso in the place of Franck Kessie.
The change inspired Ivory Coast two minutes later as Guela Doue latched onto a loose ball in the area following a corner and bundled in with Mohamed El Shenawy in no man’s land.
The Elephants were buoyed and went at the Pharaohs in the hunt for the equaliser, but El Shenawy managed to hold his own this time around. In the end, the Pharaohs progressed to the semi-finals and will meet Senegal in a repeat of the 2021 final as the holders bowed out.
Semi-Final Fixtures:
Senegal v Egypt
Nigeria v Morocco
Both semi-finals will take place on Wednesday, 14 January.