Ivory Coast Coach: "Egypt Wastes Time, That's What They Did Today"

Egypt has qualified for the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Morocco, following an exciting 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast in their quarter-final clash.

Following the match, Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé expressed his disappointment at the elimination. In statements to beIN Sports channels, he said: "The frustrating thing for us is that we know this team very well. We know they defend a lot, possess experience, and are good at wasting time."

He added: "We knew that if we conceded the first goal, things would become complicated because they would rely on time-wasting, which is exactly what happened during the match."

Faé continued: "We made many uncharacteristic errors in the goals we conceded, which put us in a difficult position and hindered our progress in the tournament."

The match took place at the Grand Stade d'Agadir, where the Egyptian national team has played all its matches since the start of the tournament. From this venue, Egypt successfully eliminated Ivory Coast, the defending champions who won the previous edition on home soil after defeating Nigeria in the final.

With this victory, Egypt has set up a formidable semi-final encounter against Senegal, after the "Teranga Lions" overcame Mali with a solitary goal.