Egypt faced the loss of Mohamed Salah to injury but managed to stage comebacks twice, securing a 2-2 draw against Ghana in a pivotal Africa Cup of Nations match on Thursday.
Despite Mohamed Kudus scoring both goals for Ghana, defensive lapses allowed Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed to capitalize, denting Egypt’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
Ghana, with just one point, remained at the bottom of Group B, tied with Mozambique. Egypt held the second spot with two points, trailing behind group leader Cape Verde.
Egypt’s pursuit of an eighth Africa Cup title suffered a setback when Salah left the field with a thigh injury before halftime. Kudus, returning from a hamstring injury, boosted Ghana’s performance and scored in injury time after Salah’s exit.
Despite defensive challenges, Egypt managed to equalize, with Marmoush pouncing on a backpass error. With the draw, Ghana faces a do-or-die match against Mozambique, while Egypt looks ahead to their next encounter.
Meanwhile, Nigeria secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Ivory Coast, with William Troost-Ekong converting a second-half penalty. The win positions Nigeria in second place with Equatorial Guinea leading Group A.
The Ivory Coast, now in third place, faces Equatorial Guinea in their next match, while Nigeria takes on Guinea-Bissau. Equatorial Guinea, led by Emilio Nsue’s hat trick, dominated Guinea-Bissau with a 4-2 win, bringing them closer to securing a spot in the knockout stage.
Nsue Hatrick currently places him as the top scorer as the race for the Golden Boot heats up with Senegal’s Camara Lamine trailing Nsue by a goal.
