Egypt secured a 3-2 win over Côte d'Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final, setting up a semi-final clash against Senegal. The match, described as Egypt's best performance since their golden era, will see Mohamed Salah face former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mané once again.
Goals from Omar Marmoush, Rami Rabia, and Salah gave Egypt the win, with the latter's counter-attack finish sealing the victory. The performance recalled Egypt's 4-1 win over the same opponents in the 2008 semi-final, with Odilon Kossounou's defensive error echoing Kolo Touré's struggles in that match.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan switched to a 4-3-1-2 formation, which proved effective despite Egypt having less than 30% possession. The team pressed sparingly but efficiently, creating chances on the break and limiting Côte d'Ivoire to set-piece goals.
The semi-final against Senegal on Wednesday will be a rematch of the 2022 Afcon final, where Mané scored the winning penalty, and the 2022 World Cup qualifier, where both players missed penalties. Salah missed his spot-kick in the qualifier, while Mané converted the decisive one.
