A solid defence plus Mohamed Salah equals progress. It might not be particularly edifying or good to watch but it does seem to work. This was a dismal game, two hours of spoiling with a dusting of football but, in the football that was played, Salah was decisive. He scored the equaliser and set up the winner, so Egypt will meet Cameroon in Thursday’s semi-final, a meeting of the two most successful sides in Cup of Nation’s history.
Egypt had ground their way to this stage, scoring only twice in four games. That’s the way it has always been for Carlos Queiroz and for all the success it has brought him, his cautious strategy can threaten to come unstuck if his side concedes early. Here they were behind inside six minutes, and it would have been earlier but for a weirdly extended VAR check. Ayman Ashraf clearly hacked down Achraf Hakimi and Soufiane Boufal caressed home the penalty.
