Morocco are a strong team and there will be pressure in front of the host nation—Nigeria coach

* The best team will win. I am proud that we will face Morocco, and I hope it will be a good match

* As Mo Salah sparkled for Egypt to eliminate defending champions Côte d’Ivoire to book last four date with Senegal 

* Mistakes cost us two goals, but we scored three — however, we will correct these shortcomings for the next matches—Egypt coach

Maravi Express

Africa’s traditional heavyweights are left standing at the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025 — Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco and Senegal — after a dramatic quarter-final weekend that delivered goals, tension and high drama.

Hosts Morocco will play star-studded Nigeria while Senegal will face 7-time champions Egypt — both semifinals scheduled for Wednesday, January 14.

Yesterday, Nigeria struck at exactly the right moment against a resilient Algeria side in which the Super Eagles showcased their power and efficiency to secure a 2-0 victory.

For 45 minutes, the contest remained tight and tense. Algeria, well organised around a compact midfield block, managed to contain Nigeria’s attacks, even though Victor Osimhen, Akor Adams and Ademola Lookman posed a constant threat inside the box. The Fennecs looked to break through quick transitions but failed to truly trouble goalkeeper Nwabali. At halftime, everything was still to play for.

The match turned immediately after the restart. In the 47th minute, Victor Osimhen rose highest to thunder home a precise Onyemaechi cross with a powerful header. The goal, his fourth of the tournament, released Nigeria and shattered the fragile balance of the game.

Ten minutes later, the Super Eagles struck again, ruthlessly exploiting Algeria’s weaknesses. Osimhen, once more at the heart of it, slipped Akor Adams in behind the defense. The forward kept his composure, rounding goalkeeper Luca Zidane before finishing into an empty net in the 57th — 2–0, game over.

Algeria attempted to respond, pushing more bodies into the final third, but lacked the sharpness and penetration to unsettle a disciplined and well-organized Nigerian defense. Nigeria, on the other hand, managed the game with maturity, slowing the tempo and closing down spaces.

Efficient, powerful, and clinical after the break, the Super Eagles march on into their 16th AfCON semifinal appearance.

Nigeria’s coach, Eric Sékou Chelle acknowledged that “Morocco are a strong team, and there will be pressure in front of the host nation — and the best team will win. I am proud that we will face Morocco, and I hope it will be a good match — with the best team winning.”

“The Nigerian players are very happy, and I am extremely proud of them. We really enjoyed the match. I have worked a lot since taking over my role with the Nigerian national team; we put in a lot of effort during preparations. My vision has been implemented in the Nigerian team, and we must continue working in this manner.

“The victory we achieved against Algeria was deserved. The match was fantastic, and I am very happy with the win. After this match, we have another game, and we will prepare for it.

His counterpart Vladimir Petković congratulated Nigeria, conceding that they deserved to win the match: “The opponent played better than us. We couldn’t get into the game properly; we had to stay focused.

“I don’t want to go into too many details, but Nigeria was better than us. We were missing a lot of things. We wanted to control the game, but the opponent was strong and prevented us from doing so.

“Nigeria showed the individual skills they possess, and physically we were behind. We tried to come back in the second half, but we couldn’t reach the level we wanted in attack.

“Our players are disappointed and devastated after the match. They performed well in this tournament. Now the competition is over, and another tournament is coming. We must keep our heads high after this exit.”

In the other quarterfinal, Mohamed Salah scored and provided an assist as Egypt withstood Côte d’Ivoire’s wave to snatch a dramatic 3-2 victory in a thrilling quarter-final, where the Pharaohs’ efficiency made the difference against the territorial dominance of the Elephants.

Omar Marmoush set the tone in the 4th minute. Served by Emam Ashour, the Manchester City forward made a decisive run and beat the Ivorian goalkeeper to open the scoring.

But Côte d’Ivoire quickly took control of the ball, laying siege around the Egyptian penalty area. Diallo and Diomandé delivered multiple crosses, Guessand pushed to unlock the Pharaoh’s backline, but El Shenawy and his defense bent without breaking. 

Against the run of play, Ramy Rabia doubled the lead in the 32nd minute with a perfectly placed header from a Salah corner to make it 2-0 — but Côte d’Ivoire were far from being demoralised and they were finally rewarded when Yan Diomandé forced Fatouh into an own goal in the 40th, completely reopening the match five minutes before the break.

After halt time, the Elephants resumed with the same intensity, but it was again Egypt who struck. On the first real chance of the second half, Mohamed Salah, perfectly served by Ashour, fired a low shot to score his fourth goal of the tournament (47’).

Émerse Faé’s men did not give up. Kessié, Fofana, and Diallo pressed, until Guéla Doué reduced the deficit in the 73rd minute after a chaotic situation in the box (3-2).  The final minutes saw Côte d’Ivoire laying siege — corners, crosses and aerial balls rained down on the Pharaohs’ area, transformed into a red fortress.

Goalkeeper El Shenawy, who was warned for time-wasting, held firmer along with his defense until the final whistle. Dominated but brutally efficient, Egypt triumphed and continue their journey — staying true to their reputation as the record side in the competition.

Côte d’Ivoire’s coach Émerse Fae said they prepared well to face the Egyptians but the players “made far too many mistakes at key moments in the match: “What hurts most tonight are those mistakes — it took us some time to get into the match.

“I regret conceding the first goal so early, as well as the second. We reacted well by coming back to 2-1 before halftime — but the third goal put us in trouble.

“It’s hard to explain these lapses in concentration. We will continue to work to prepare for the World Cup,” said the coach.

His counterpart, Hossam Hassan said: “Since we arrived, I’ve always said that every match is like a final for us. That’s how we approach every game. Every match is different, and we adapt to each opponent.
“Our preparation made the difference. We knew they were the reigning champions. We respected them and put a game plan in place, which worked today.

We also made mistakes in the match that cost us two goals, but we scored three. However, we will correct these shortcomings for the next matches.”—Reporting by CAFonline; edited by Maravi Express