Egypt's Salah Seeks No Regrets As Pharaohs Target AFCON Title In Semifinal

Mohamed Salah will face Sadio Mane in a high-profile Africa Cup of Nations semi-final, after leading Egypt past Ivory Coast with a decisive contribution in a 3-2 win on Saturday. Seven-time AFCON winners

Egypt now meet Senegal on Wednesday, chasing a first continental title since 2010 and relying again on Salah’s influence in attack and leadership in key moments.

Salah and Mane also dominate AFCON statistics from the last decade, adding extra interest for neutral supporters and analysts. Salah has 16 goal involvements in that period, while Mane has 19, underlining how often both players impact major tournament matches. Their semi-final meeting brings together former Liverpool team-mates who previously shared a frontline at club level.

Against Ivory Coast, Egypt built a strong platform early. Omar Marmoush scored first, and Rami Rabia added a second, giving Egypt control before half-time. That advantage narrowed when Ahmed Abou El Fotouh turned the ball into Egypt’s net, allowing Ivory Coast back into the match and shifting momentum towards the holders before the interval.

The second half again highlighted Salah’s influence at AFCON. Already with one assist, Salah struck in the 52nd minute to restore Egypt’s two-goal cushion, finishing a precise move to make it 3-1. Ivory Coast responded through Guela Doue, who scored to create a tense finish, but Egypt held firm to secure progression.

After the match, Salah stressed pride in Egypt’s performance and the importance of the squad’s attitude throughout the AFCON campaign. "I am very happy and proud to play with these guys," said Salah. "We always want to bring joy to the Egyptian fans, and we believe we can win every match with this mindset. "

Salah underlined how difficult Ivory Coast made the contest and pointed to the champions’ mentality shown by the defending AFCON holders. "It was a difficult match. The Ivorians won the AFCON last time at home. They played like champions today as well. But we gave everything, and Im happy we managed to qualify. "

2 - The two players with the most goal involvements at AFCON over the last 10 years: Sadio Man (10G + 9A) Mo Salah (11G + 5A) Reunion. pic.twitter.com/612Ie3ClkTOptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 10, 2026

AFCON preparation, Mohamed Salah mentality and Egypt focus

Salah also spoke about personal standards and the message given to Egypt’s squad during this AFCON run. "I always give my all for my team. I try to bring my experience to help us achieve great things. I always tell my team-mates to give everything as soon as they step on the pitch. Its very important to do that so we have no regrets. "

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae focused on errors that shifted the AFCON tie away from the holders and towards Egypt. Fae felt Ivory Coast’s game-plan against Egypt was clear but not executed for the full 90 minutes, especially during crucial phases when concentration levels dipped and left the defence exposed.

He detailed the issues that cost Ivory Coast against Egypt, while also looking ahead beyond AFCON. He said: "We are frustrated by tonights result. We had prepared our players to face this Egyptian team, but we made far too many mistakes at key moments in the match to hope to eliminate them. 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 half-time. But the third goal put us in trouble. Its hard to explain these lapses in concentration. We will continue to work to prepare for the World Cup. "

With Egypt advancing and Ivory Coast turning attention to World Cup preparation, the AFCON semi-final against Senegal brings together two leading teams and two of the competition’s most productive attackers. Salah’s goals, assists and leadership remain central for Egypt, while Mane’s record highlights Senegal’s own attacking threat heading into Wednesday’s decisive tie.