By

Eniola Olatunji 

 

Defending champions Ivory Coast were eliminated from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday night after a dramatic 3–2 quarterfinal defeat to Egypt at the Stade d’Agadir in Morocco.

 

Africa’s most decorated men’s national team, the Pharaohs of Egypt, showed their pedigree by edging past the Elephants in a tense and highly entertaining encounter to book a place in the semifinals.

 

Egypt struck early, taking the lead in the 4th minute when Emam Ashour delivered a perfectly weighted pass to Omar Marmoush, who finished calmly as both sides were still settling into the contest. The Pharaohs doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute when captain and talisman Mohamed Salah, playing what is expected to be his final AFCON tournament, floated a precise ball to Rami Rabia, who nodded home from inside the penalty area.

 

Ivory Coast were handed a lifeline just before the break when Egypt defender Ahmed Fathy inadvertently headed a free kick into his own net in the 40th minute, reducing the deficit to 2–1 at halftime.

 

The second half began with renewed intensity, and Egypt restored their two-goal cushion in the 52nd minute. Once again, Emam Ashour was the architect, providing his second assist of the night for Mohamed Salah, who finished clinically to score his fourth goal of the tournament. Salah had previously found the net against Benin, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

 

Despite a late push by Ivory Coast that produced a second goal, Egypt held on to seal a famous victory and end the champions’ title defense.

 

Egypt’s path to the quarterfinals saw them score six goals and concede just two, recording two clean sheets. They defeated Zimbabwe 2–1, edged South Africa 1–0, drew 0–0 with Angola, and overcame Benin 3–1 in the round of 16.

 

Ivory Coast, on the other hand, scored eight goals and conceded three en route to the quarterfinals. Their campaign included a 1–0 win over Mozambique, a 1–1 draw with Cameroon, a thrilling 3–2 victory over Gabon, and a dominant 3–0 win against Burkina Faso in the round of 16.

 

Historically, the two sides have met eight times, with Egypt and Ivory Coast recording two wins apiece and four draws. Of the 17 goals scored in those encounters, Egypt have netted nine. At AFCON tournaments, Egypt have won twice against the Elephants, with two matches ending in draws.

 

The victory sets up a mouth-watering semifinal clash between Egypt and Senegal, scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, at 6:00 pm in Tangier.

 

The second semifinal will see hosts Morocco face either Algeria or Nigeria later the same evening at 9:00 pm in Rabat.

 

The third-place match is slated for Saturday, January 17, at 5:00 pm in Casablanca, while the grand finale of the 2025 AFCON will take place on Sunday, January 18, at 8:00 pm in Rabat.