Egypt knocked out defending champions Ivory Coast with a 3-2 quarter-final victory in the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday, booking a semi-final berth against Senegal and extending their dominance in a lopsided rivalry that has seen the Pharaohs triumph in 11 of 12 encounters.
The match at Agadir’s Grand Stadium saw Egypt surge ahead just three minutes in when Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush capitalized on a defensive slip to beat goalkeeper Yahia Fofana, followed by centre-back Ramy Rabia’s looping header from a Mohamed Salah corner on 32 minutes.
Ivory Coast clawed one back five minutes before the break through an own goal by Egypt’s Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh off a nodded effort from Odilon Kossounou, but Salah restored the two-goal cushion early in the second half with a close-range finish from Emam Ashour’s low cross.
Guela Doue halved the deficit again on 73 minutes from a corner, setting up a nervy finish, but Egypt held firm to advance in the 2025 edition hosted by Morocco.
The win marks the eighth straight failure by a defending champion to retain the title since Egypt’s back-to-back successes in 2010, while Liverpool star Salah, 33, continues his quest for an elusive AFCON medal after two runner-up finishes and recent form struggles at club level.
Egypt, record seven-time winners, will face Senegal in Tangiers on Wednesday, with the victors advancing to the January 18 final against either Morocco or Nigeria.
