Egypt made it through to the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations after their dramatic 2-2 against Cape Verde in their final Group B encounter in Abidjan.
Before extra-time goals in both games, Egypt looked like it would finish third, behind the Blue Sharks and Ghana.
It looked like the Pharaohs won the game in the 93rd minute when Mostafa Mohamed scored.
But six minutes later, Cape Verde tied the game. The Pharaohs then finished in second place because Ghana blew a 2-0 lead in extra time against Mozambique.
In the last 16, Rui Vitoria’s team will play the second-placed team from Group F.
Mohamed Salah was hurt and couldn’t play, so Egypt fell behind at halftime thanks to Benchimol’s smart finish. But in the 50th minute, Trezeguet scored a goal to tie the game.
The Pharaohs knew that a win would put them in second place and send them through. When Mohamed lobbed Vozinha to put them ahead 2-1 in extra time, with Ghana ahead of Mozambique, they celebrated wildly.
But things got heated when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) sent match official Alhadi Mahamat to his monitor on the pitch to decide if Mohamed had touched Trezeguet’s forward ball with his chest or hand.
After some time, the Chadian official confirmed the goal. However, Egypt almost lost all of their hard work when Bryan Teixeira shot in from a tight angle.
But Ghana gave up a penalty in the 91st minute and an equaliser against Mozambique in the 94th minute. This meant that Egypt made it to the next round even though they tied all three of their group games in Ivory Coast.
Salah couldn’t play because he was taken off in last Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Ghana, but the forward was in the stands for what turned out to be a nerve-wracking night for the record seven-time continental champions.
The 31-year-old will go back to Liverpool to get treatment for his leg injury. Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, isn’t sure if the player will even be fit if Egypt makes it to the final on February 11.
The Pharaohs were behind at halftime even though they had dominated the first half, and Trezeguet’s goal right after the restart showed how determined they had become.
The former Aston Villa player played a smart one-two with Ahmed Hegazi and then hit a powerful volley with his left foot that went through Vozinha’s legs.
Trezeguet created most of Egypt’s best chances, shooting wide from long range and forcing Vozinha to palm away a curling shot. It was no surprise that he let Mohamed score by breaking down the Cape Verde defence.
Before they played the North Africans, Cape Verde had already won Group B, and a much-changed team showed plenty of heart to tie the game in the last few minutes.
Some Pharaohs players fell to the ground in despair when Teixeira made it 2-2 because they thought Ghana had won. However, the delay before the game started worked in their favour because they learned that a point was enough to move on.
Egypt came in second place at the 2017 and 2021 finals. They are still hoping that Salah will come back and help them win their first Afcon title since 2010 after making it to the knockout stages.
Photo by Weam Mostafa/BackpagePix
