Head down, hands on heads, lost looks in the stands. The silence that followed the final whistle said it all. Côte d’Ivoire will not defend their crown. The dream of a back to back title ended in the quarter-finals. The defending champions were knocked out of AFCON 2025, falling a 3–2 to Egypt on Saturday at the Grand Stade d’Agadir. Egypt hit early, as Omar Marmoush opened the scoring in the fourth minute, before Rami Rabia doubled the lead in the 32nd minute, putting the Pharaohs firmly in control. Côte d’Ivoire responded before half-time through an own goal by Ahmed Fotouh in the 40th minute, reigniting belief among the Elephants. After the break, Mohamed Salah restored Egypt two-goal advantage in the 52nd minute. Côte d’Ivoire refused to give in and pulled one back through Guela Doué in the 73rd minute, pushing Egypt deep in the closing stages. However, Egypt experience and defensive discipline proved decisive as they held on to secure qualification. Salah and his teammates will now face Senegal in the semi-finals, setting up a blockbuster clash. Earlier in the day, at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, Algeria were beaten 2–0 by Nigeria in the quarter-finals. Completely outplayed by a dominant and well organised Super Eagles side, the Fennecs conceded goals from Victor Osimhen 26th minute and Akor Adams 47th minute. Nigeria controlled the match from start to finish, leaving Algeria with little room to respond. The defeat ends Algeria campaign and means there will be no Maghreb derby in the semi-finals. Nigeria now book their place to face Morocco in what promises to be a high-level semi-final encounter.
