AFCON 2025-26: Marmoush and Salah strike as Egypt leaves reigning champions Ivory Coast behind in quarter-final

Omar Marmoush scored the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 victory in the quarter-final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday.

Center back Rami Rabia was the other goalscorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semi-final meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.

An own goal by Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for Ivory Coast, winner of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champion.

Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead when Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy took the ball from Franck Kessie in midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to send a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still had to shake off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before heading home.

But it soon became clear that the Ivorians were going to dominate possession and show much more physical strength on the ball, but without creating clear chances.

READ | Nigeria beats Algeria 2-0 and advances to the semi-finals against Morocco

Egypt took a 2-0 lead in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his team further ahead from a corner.

Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s free-kick near the corner took a light knock off Kossounou’s head and bounced into the net off the knee of full-back Fatouh.

SALAH finished off a smart move

The Ivorians came from 2-0 down earlier in the tournament to beat Gabon 3-2, but hopes of turning the score around soon after the restart were thwarted seven minutes after the break by a simply created but superbly finished goal for Salah.

Rabia was well inside his own half when he smashed the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and whip a precise pass with the outside of his right boot into Salah’s path to score.

An Ivorian comeback was still underway when Doue hit home plate at the end of a goal battle in the 73rd minute.

That put the Egyptian goal under siege in the final 15 minutes, but they held on to advance.

Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria defeated Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will face hosts Morocco in the other semi-final.

Published on January 11, 2026