Africa: Salah’s Egypt End Côte d’Ivoire’s Afcon Title Defense, Join Nigeria in Semis

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…