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Seven-time champions Egypt have edged Ivory Coast in penalties after the round of 16 game was dragged on through the normal and extratime.
Egypt beat Ivory Coast 5-4 on penalties to reach the quarter-finals at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon following a 0-0 stalemate after normal time.
Manchester United’s defender Eric Bailey missed the decisive penalty to send Egypt through.
Oddly what gave Ivory Coast a chance was the loss of Franck Kessié to injury after half an hour. Although that clearly weakened the Ivorians’ midfield, by encouraging Egypt to attack a little more, it did create space for them to counter into, as they had so successfully against Algeria.
Ivory Coast could have broke the deadlock in the opening half if it was for Egyptian goalkeeper Muhammad Elshenawy who brilliantly denied Sebastian Haller, Max Gradel and Nicholas Pepe on several occasions in the first 45.
Egypt’s realistic goalscoring chance in the opening half fell to midfielder Omar Marmoush who rattled the crossbar with Coast’s custodian Badra Ali well beaten, while also star striker Mohammad Salah had his shot parried away before the break.
The tempo rose in the second half but in the opening minute, the game seemed a contest of terrible finishing from Egypt and terrible crossing from Ivory Coast.
Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed failed to convert from glorious chances for Egypt while Pepe was terrible with his cross throughout the closing half.
But the Egypt head Coach Carlos Queiroz soon put a stop to that. Egypt became increasingly conservative and wasted time at every opportunity.
This was all very familiar; Egypt too have always been masters of that if they feel the game might be slipping form them, as Ivory Coast found in Cairo in 2006 in the African Cup of Nations final.
Just before the end of the 90 minutes, the Pharaohs suffered a blow as their first choice goalkeeper Elshenawy was stretched off with an injury and replaced with Mohamed Abou Gabaski.
With the score nil-nil after extra time, the game went into spotkicks to separate the two sides.
Captain Salah netted the decisive penalty of the shootouts after Gabaski had saved Bailly’s cheeky kick.
Egypt will face Morocco in the quarterfinals in Yaounde on Sunday.
