Egypt booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a thrilling 3–2 victory over Ivory Coast on Saturday evening at Adrar Stadium in Morocco.
The Pharaohs delivered a strong attacking performance and struck early, with Omar Marmoush opening the scoring in the 4th minute.
Egypt continued to press and nearly doubled their lead on several occasions before Rami Rabia headed home the second goal in the 32nd minute to reward their dominance.
Ivory Coast pulled one back in the 40th minute following an own goal by Ahmed Fattouh, reducing the deficit to 2–1 by halftime.
Early in the second half, Egypt restored their two-goal advantage when captain Mohamed Salah calmly finished in the 52nd minute after a perfectly weighted assist from Emam Ashour.
The goal highlighted Egypt’s attacking efficiency and leadership in key moments.
Ivory Coast refused to surrender and scored their second goal in the 73rd minute through Dewy, following a corner kick that Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy dealt with uncharacteristically poorly.
Despite late pressure from the Elephants, Egypt held on to secure a deserved win.
Head coach Hossam Hassan made tactical substitutions late in the match, introducing Mahmoud Trezeguet in the 79th minute and Mostafa Mohamed in stoppage time to help close out the game.
With the victory, Egypt advance to the semi-finals, where they will face Senegal in a highly anticipated showdown.
The win also reinforced Egypt’s historic status in the competition. The Pharaohs remain the most prolific scoring nation in Africa Cup of Nations history, having now scored 181 goals across 27 tournament appearances.
Ivory Coast sit second on the all-time list with 160 goals, followed by Nigeria with 158, Cameroon with 148, and Ghana with 138.
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