Hosts Morocco face Nigeria and Egypt meet Senegal in AFCON semis

January 12 – Egypt brought Côte d’Ivoire’s Africa Cup of Nations title defence to an end as the quarter-final stage concluded with Egypt joining Nigeria, Morocco and Senegal in the semi-finals.

Mohamed Salah once again proved decisive for Egypt, scoring in a 3–2 victory in Agadir that edged Egypt a step closer to a record eighth continental title.

Egypt struck early through Omar Marmoush, scoring inside four minutes after a turnover in midfield, with Emam Ashour quickly releasing him into space. Côte d’Ivoire responded by dominating possession but found little room around the Egyptian penalty area.

Rami Rabia doubled Egypt’s lead just past the half-hour mark, rising above the defence to head in from a corner.

The Ivorians were handed a lifeline shortly before the interval when a free-kick glanced off defender Ahmed Fatouh and diverted into his own net.

Any sense of a shift in momentum was short-lived. Seven minutes into the second half, Salah finished a sweeping move with his usual composure to restore Egypt’s two-goal cushion.

Guéla Doué pulled one back from close range late on, setting up a tense finish, but Egypt held firm through a sustained spell of pressure to see the game out.

Super Eagles flying
Nigeria moved into the last four with a controlled 2–0 win over Algeria in Marrakech, with Victor Osimhen the star of the show as he eyes the player of the tournament award.

The 27-year-old opened the scoring shortly after half-time, getting on the end of Bruno Onyemaechi’s cross after a mistake by goalkeeper Luca Zidane.

Ten minutes later, Osimhen turned provider, sliding a pass through for Akor Adams, who rounded the keeper and finished into an empty net.

Algeria struggled to respond as Nigeria managed the game comfortably, limiting their opponents to few clear chances. The victory marked Nigeria’s 17th semi-final appearance in the last 20 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments they have qualified for.

The semi-final line-up now brings together some familiar rivals. Egypt will face Senegal, with Mohamed Salah set to come up against Sadio Mané, while Nigeria are due to meet hosts Morocco in Rabat.

Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1768226179labto1768226179ofdlr1768226179owedi1768226179sni@g1768226179niwe.1768226179yrrah1768226179