Egypt is one of the nations fighting for the final victory in the African Cup of Nations. The Pharaohs, a 7-time title holder in their history and a finalist in the last edition, however, have not won the continental grail since 2010. Thus, they do not intend to stumble, this Sunday 28 January in the 8th final, against the players of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Congo defeated the Egyptians in what seemed like a hopeless match. Penalties between the two goalkeepers sealed the fate of this very close encounter. DRC will face Guinea in the quarter finals of CAN. Thanks for following this live and see you soon!
The match will be decided on a penalty shootout. Extra time was similar to the second half, with neither side having many chances.
DRC cannot worry about Egypt. Leopards are very disorganized in their passing, who defend very well with ten men.
Arsenal make way for midfielder Mohnad Lashin.
Congo start again with a blast from the left with a well-dived cross. The ball passes the entire defense without being caught and ends up on the left side of Gabaski’s goal.
This first period was particularly marked by Egypt’s red card. DRC’s numerical superiority is yet to be realised.
A set piece after a relegation, taken by Masuaku, flies well over the cage.
Mohamed Hamdi received a second yellow and was sent off following a bad move on Simon Banza. Tension is rising between the two teams. Egypt must continue to be numerically inferior.
Overtime is initiated for a period of half an hour. Will they be enough for teams to find fault?
At the end of a very dull second half, neither team was able to logically get the upper hand on the other. This result corresponds to the fourth consecutive draw (in normal time) for Egypt and DRC in the competition. They have to decide between themselves in the next thirty minutes and, if the two choices neutralize each other again, they go into penalties.
Atia Kongi makes a good breakthrough down the left, his cross is blocked and goes out of bounds. A corner kick still won’t do anything.
Syed Zizo, author of a very good match, leaves his place to Mostafa Fathi. The substitution follows DRC replacing Wisa with Stuttgart striker Silas.
After an overflow along the goal line and a well lofted cross from Seyed Zizo in the Congolese area, the incoming Mahmoud Hamada was found alone. But he lacks his control and can’t follow through with a shot that would surely have ended up deep.
With Aaron Tshibola returning in place of Pickel, coach Sebastien Desabre tries to find offensive solutions.
Time to quench your thirst in this half. For several minutes, the game was disorganized and mispaced.
The former OM striker and Saint-Etienne defender are replaced by Inonga and Simon Banza.
Mohamed Hani finds Seyed Zizo on the edge of the area who finds a good pass for Fathi. The Egyptian striker pounces on Mpasi who saves his team.
The OM defender received a well-hit corner in the heart of the area but his header ended up a few centimeters over the goal.
The leopards quickly leave their camp and find Elijah who sends a good route to Bakambu’s area. It’s well placed but doesn’t deflect the ball well enough beyond six metres.
Well positioned at the entrance to the area, the Egyptian striker tripped the carpet and sent the ball straight out of the goal.
On Elia’s tight and difficult cross, the Egyptian goalkeeper read the ball well and cleared the ball with his hand.
Arthur Masuaku sent a good cross into the box, cleared by the Egyptian defense for a corner. A corner kick will do nothing.
Kongi commits to this second task. Al Fotuh gave way to Mohamed Hamdi before kick-off.
After a lively first period, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo are bouncing back and confirming their difficulty in getting the upper hand on their opponents. Congo generally dominated, but the North Africans defended well with a strong rearguard.
Mostafa Mohamed converted the penalty by striking Mpasi to the left.
On the follow-up to Mohamed’s free kick, Batubinsika saves a cross in the air but elbows Hegazi. After checking the VAR, the referee awards penalty points.
Rui Vitoria men get a good free kick into the opposition camp. Mustafa Mohamed takes care of it, launches a dangerous shot but is repelled by the Congolese defence.
Congo opened the scoring thanks to Visa. A Brentford player benefits from a quick touch in the area, his cross deflected into goal by Hegazi. Elia is on the ball and has to extend the ball before it crosses the line.
The Pharaohs finally have a chance to worry DRC, but the free kick ends up, misdirected, straight into Mpasi’s gloves.
The teams make short stops to hydrate in the Ivorian heat.
The Egyptian captain gives himself up. When Elijah sinks again, the defender throws himself to overcome the danger and falls to the ground. He gets up, gingerly.
Blues men are becoming increasingly urgent. After a good recovery in the opposing camp, Elia is fully shifted but takes too long to arm her shots. The Egyptian defence, well folded, managed to stop him.
Bongonda, who has been zoned out, causes a good free kick to the right of the Egyptian area. The cross is good but pushed back, same Bongonda doesn’t lean enough on the ball and hits it over the top.
Interesting situation at 25m, Yoan Visa tries his luck but sends the leather into the wall.
On the left side of the Egyptian half, full-back Masuaku uses considerable energy to outplay opposing defenders and crosses. It is well contained by North Africans every time.
On a magnificent cross from Marwan Attia, North Africa’s captain of choice Ahmed Hegazi hits a header from close range but his shot goes over.
On a lovely floating pass into the area, the well-placed right-wing attacker wins but screws up his shot which escapes to the left of the Congo goal.
Opportunities flow in both directions. After Elia’s big miss, the Egyptians go into the opposition area and send in a cross that is intercepted by Mpassi.
Egypt get an interesting set piece after a long period of possession starting from the kickoff. An indirect free kick achieves nothing. The Congo counter-attack is scintillating and Meshech Elia, tackled by Gabaski, misses his shot completely. The ball flies over its cage.
The Egyptians open hostilities in Ivory Coast this evening. The challenge for both teams will be to qualify on penalties this time, without going through a draw, unlike the group stage.
“Cat (home), cat, cat” and the Congolese debut echoed in San Pedro’s Laurent-Pocou stadium.
The two selections will play in the classic 4-3-3 formation. South Africa’s Tom Abongile will referee this match.
Follow Africa Cup of Nations Knockout Match Egypt – Democratic Republic of Congo on this live commentary.
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