Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae admitted deep frustration after the defending champions were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the quarter-final stage following a dramatic 3–2 defeat to Egypt in Morocco on Saturday.
The Elephants, who arrived determined to defend the title they won on home soil in 2023, fell short at Stade Adrar in Tangier, undone by early defensive lapses and a clinical Egyptian side led by captain Mohamed Salah.
Egypt struck first just four minutes in through Omar Marmoush, before Ramy Rabia doubled the advantage with a towering header from a Salah corner. Ivory Coast pulled one back when sustained pressure forced Ahmed Fatouh into an own goal, briefly reviving hopes of a comeback.
However, Salah restored Egypt’s two-goal cushion before the break, firing in his fourth goal of the tournament — his third for the Pharaohs — to deal a heavy blow to the Ivorians’ momentum. Guela Doue reduced the deficit in the 73rd minute, but Egypt held firm to book a semi-final place.
Speaking to CAF Media after the match, Fae pointed to costly mistakes at key moments as the decisive factor in the Elephants’ exit.
“We are frustrated by tonight’s result,” Fae said. “We prepared well, but we made too many errors to hope to eliminate a team like Egypt. Conceding early goals put us in a difficult position, and the third goal made it even harder to recover.”
Despite the disappointment, Fae said the focus would now shift to rebuilding and preparing for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan praised his players’ discipline and execution, acknowledging defensive errors but highlighting their attacking efficiency.
“We respected Ivory Coast as reigning champions and executed our game plan,” Hassan said. “We scored three goals and deserved to qualify, though we still have areas to improve.”
Egypt will now face Senegal in the AFCON semi-finals after the Lions of Teranga edged Algeria 1–0 in the other quarter-final.
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