January 30, (THEWILL) – Egypt advanced to the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals thanks to Aston Villa striker Trezeguet’s extra-time winner, which gave Egypt a 2-1 victory over Morocco.
Egypt and Morocco met in the last-16 tie of the competition on Sunday, with English Premier League superstar Mohamed Salah appearing to give his side the upper hand. However, it was Soufiane Boufal, a former Southampton player, who scored first after Achraf Hakimi was felled in the box by Ayman Ashraf after three minutes.
Despite the perceived technical expertise of manager Carlos Queiroz, the Moroccans were untroubled in the first half by an Egyptian XI who struggled to break down the defensive structure that the Atlas Lions of Morocco adopted for the game.
Salah finally equalised in the second half after a defensive scramble in the box following a corner, but neither side could find a winner before the end of regulation time, forcing the tie into extra time.
Salah was again at the heart of Egypt’s dangerous forays and it reflected in the play leading to the winning goal. The Liverpool ace feinted past his marker down the wing before teeing up Trezeguet for a goal in the 100th minute to send Egypt into the semis for the seventh time.
Nonetheless, and not for the first time, Egypt failed to establish themselves in the first half and owe their advancement to the individual efforts of players like Salah. They were relegated to taking punts from afar without him because they lacked inventiveness.
This worked for the Pharaohs enough to get them past Morocco, but Cameroon awaits in the final four and the hosts will have the attention of a team that is backed and under pressure from its home fans. They will hopefully not lose concentration as Morocco did.
It will therefore be to the advantage of Queiroz’s charges to get their act together if they hope to win their eighth AFCON.
Salah may again be the trump card. He was rather quiet for the majority of the game and his equaliser was not spectacular, but it was crucial. Again, when it came to setting up the winner, it was his calm demeanour under pressure that ensured an easy finish for the winner when others could have faltered.
Those are the types of contributions that count for winning titles and trophies and he is a lynchpin on Egypt’s progress towards the ultimate prize in African football.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
