The 35th edition of the African Cup of Nations in Morocco will resume today with two mouthwatering semi-finals in the cities of Rabat and Tangier.
Seven-time champions Egypt will take on the 2021 champions Senegal in a revenge match after the West Africans overcame the North Africans via penalties in the 2021 final.
Egypt will be playing in the semi-finals for the third time in five editions and will aim to lift the trophy for the first time since 2010.
The Lions of Teranga will rely heavily on their talisman Sadio Mane, while Egypt will rely on Mohammed Salah to carry the night.
En route to the final, Senegal, led by former international Pape Thiaw, topped group D on 7 points after thrashing Botswana 3-0, drawing 1-1 against DR Congo and brushing aside Benin 3-0.
They then eased 2-0 past Sudan in the round of 16 and knocked out Mali by a solitary goal in the last 8.
On the other hand, Egypt equally led group B on 7 points, defeating Zimbabwe 2-1, following it up with a 1-0 win over South Africa, and playing to a scoreless draw in the last group match.
Hossam Hassan’s men had a scare in the round of 16, beating Benin 3-1 in extra time following a 1-1 draw in regulation time, and then went on to eliminate the defending champions 3-2 in a tight quarter-final contest.
Since 2014, Senegal has won four of the five head-to-head encounters, including victory in penalty shootouts in the AFCON 2021 final and the 2022 World Cup qualification final.
The margins are much closer at the AFCON level: five meetings, two victories each, and one draw—numbers that highlight how evenly matched this rivalry has been.
