Egypt defeated Ivory Coast 3-2 in a close thriller, setting up a match against Senegal in the 2025 African Cup of Nations semi-finals.
Published January 10, 2026
Mohamed Salah scored and Egypt defeated defending champions Ivory Coast with a 3-2 win to advance to the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals.
Liverpool forward Salah scored his fourth goal of the tournament (Egypt’s third of the match) in the 52nd minute of Saturday’s encounter, but the Pharaohs needed it after Ivory Coast twice came close to coming back from two goals down.
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But Egypt persevered in Agadir despite Ivory Coast’s relentless pressure and booked a semi-final date with 2021 champions Senegal in Tangier on Wednesday.
Ivory Coast got off to a disastrous start, with Franck Kessié losing the ball in midfield due to a poor touch, Odilon Kosounou falling over without cutting the ball from Imam Ashour, and Omar Marmouche scoring in the fourth minute.
Ramy Rabia maintained the lead with a brilliant block and scored a header from a corner kick in the 32nd minute.
Ivory Coast finally pulled one back five minutes before half-time, when Ahmed Abu El Fotou converted a dangerous Yann Diomande free-kick, which Kossou headed home.
Salah restored Egypt’s two-goal cushion early in the second half. That’s when Rabia caught the Ivorian defenders with a long ball to Ashour, who set Salah with the outside of his boot.
In the 73rd minute, goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy plucked the ball out and Guerra Due was able to score another goal with his heel in a goalmouth scramble, but the equaliser.
Egypt are aiming for a record-extending eighth AFCON title.
Prior to this, three-time champions Nigeria, who lost to Ivory Coast in the final in the last edition, defeated Algeria 2-0 and are set to face Morocco in the semi-finals.
The Super Eagles are aiming to win their first title since 2013.
In contrast to Algeria, who lost in the quarterfinals, they will be able to make up for the disappointment of not qualifying for the World Cup.
