Egypt savours Afcon quarter-final win over Morocco

Chorus of car horns rings out over Cairo as delighted Egyptian fans celebrate victory

Egypt's Mohamed Salah celebrates after the match at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Cameroon. Reuters

Trezeguet celebrates scoring Egypt's second goal in their 2-1 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final win over Morocco on Sunday, January 30, 2022. Reuters

Egypt's Trezeguet commiserates Morocco forward Tarik Tissoudali after the match. AFP

Trezeguet scores Egypt's second goal. AP

Egypt's Trezeguet celebrates with Mohamed Salah after the second goal. AFP

Mohamed Salah sets up Egypt's second goal. AFP

Mohamed Salah scores for Egypt. AFP

Egypt attacker Mohamed Salah, second right, celebrates after scoring. EPA

Egypt's Ayman Ashraf takes down Achraf Hakimi of Morocco to give away a penalty. EPA

Referee Maguette Ndiaye checks VAR for the early penalty decision. EPA

Mohamed Salah and his Egypt teammates argue with referee Maguette Ndiaye. Reuters

Sofiane Boufal scores from the spot to give Morocco the lead. EPA

Morocco's Sofiane Boufal, left, celebrates after scoring. AFP

Egypt's Mohamed Salah holds off the challenge of Adam Masina of Morocco. AP

Morocco's forward Sofiane Boufal celebrates after scoring from the spot. AFP

Egypt's defender Ahmed Hegazi wins the ball. AFP

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah on the attack against Morocco. EPA

Tempers fray during the match. AFP

Egypt's Mostafa Mohamed and defender Achraf Hakimi of Morocco go head-to-head. AFP

Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed Abogabal had to be substituted in extra-time due to injury. AFP

It took Egypt consecutive games into extra time, a good deal of tenacity with injuries to six key players along the way, but the Pharaohs are in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon and supporters are overwhelmed with joy and disbelief.

After an unpromising start, the Egyptians have sent home two heavyweights in Ivory Coast and Morocco over a four-day period in the knockout stages of the 24-nation tournament.

Yet, the short-handed Pharaohs will have to dig deep again with their experience, grit and the substitutes’ bench to overcome a Cameroon side playing on home soil.

That will be on Thursday. For now, Egypt are savouring the taste of a precious, rallying 2-1 victory over a classy Morocco side – or the Atlas Lions – and their tough-to-please fans at home are filled with gratitude that one of the world’s best players, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, is a Pharaoh.

Television football pundits late on Sunday night heaped lavish praise on the Pharaohs and the delighted fans hooted their car horns and waved Egyptian flags as they toured the streets of Cairo into the early hours of Monday.

Egypt's Ahmed Fatouh, middle, defends against Morocco's Munir El Haddadi, left, in Yaounde, Cameroon. AP

The Pharaohs’ manager, Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz – vilified less than a week ago over Egypt’s poor start in Cameroon – has morphed into a saviour, whose tactics restored the past glory of the seven-times Afcon champions.

What made Sunday’s victory particularly sweet is that the Atlas Lions had won 11 of the 13 clashes against Egypt since the late 1970s. The win was also all the more precious because the Pharaohs had to fight back from an early setback when Sofiane Boufal scored a penalty in the sixth minute.

“It was not just that the players put in a spirited performance. They also showed character when they came from a goal down to take control and attack against a team that efficiently shut down spaces,” said Hassan El Mistekawi, an Egyptian football commentator.

“They played well against the Ivory Coast in the last-16 round, but the Morocco game was more difficult. In the end, it did not matter who won more games over the years. These are just statistics.”

Salah, whose recent form for Egypt has paled in comparison to his time at Liverpool, showed in the second half why he is rated among the world’s best. He scored the equaliser shortly after half-time and set up the second in extra time with a breathtaking run down the right flank before teeing up Aston Villa’s Trezeguet.

Egypt's Ahmed Fatouh, top, is carried by a team staff member as they celebrate at the end of the African Cup of Nations 2022 quarter-final soccer match between Egypt and Morocco in Yaounde, Cameroon. AP.

Trezeguet, recently back from injury and a nine-month recovery, duly acknowledged by placing Salah’s right foot on his knee and pretending to polish his shoe.

“Tactically, we played the best two matches of the tournament so far against the Ivory Coast and Morocco,” said commentator Sabry Sirag. “We were not necessarily the better team, but our team spirit carried us through.”

But when the celebrations are over, the Pharaohs will have to start worrying about the costs of this progress.

Mohamed El Shenawy, possibly Africa’s best goalkeeper, is out for the rest of the tournament after he pulled a muscle against Ivory Coast on Wednesday. His substitute, Mohammed Abu Gabal, left the Morocco game on Sunday after he, too, pulled a muscle.

Mohamed Sobhy, a 22-year-old, replaced Abu Gabal for his international debut and is likely to start against Cameroon.

Centre-back Ahmed Hegazy had to be substituted after he suffered what appeared to be a groin injury. Others on the list are defender Mahmoud Hamdy El Wensh and midfielder Hamdy Fathy. Another star Pharaoh, right-back Akram Tawfiq suffered a knee injury in the opening loss to Nigeria in the group stage and has left Cameroon.