Egypt national football team booked their place in the AFCON 2025 semi-finals after edging past Ivory Coast national football team in a dramatic five-goal thriller in Agadir.
Egypt struck early when Omar Marmoush curled home inside six minutes, capitalising on a sloppy Ivorian start. The Pharaohs doubled their advantage before half-time as Ramy Rabia powered in a header from a Mohamed Salah corner, putting Egypt firmly in control.
Ivory Coast responded just before the break when Odilon Kossounou’s header deflected off an Egyptian defender to make it 2-1 and keep the contest alive.
Moments after the restart, Salah made his mark in front of goal, poking in Egypt’s third to restore a two-goal cushion. But the defending champions refused to fold. Substitute Guela Doué produced a brilliant back-heel finish from a chaotic corner to set up a tense finale at 3-2.
Despite sustained late pressure and five minutes of stoppage time, Egypt held on amid frayed nerves and stoppages to seal the win. The result knocks Ivory Coast out and sets up a heavyweight semi-final clash for Egypt against Senegal national football team, with a mouth-watering Salah vs Mané storyline looming.
Final score: Egypt 3–2 Ivory Coast
Next up: Egypt vs Senegal, AFCON 2025 semi-final 🏆
