Salah shows the way

Skipper shines with goal and assist to help Egypt earn come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Morocco and enter semis; Sadio Mane’s Senegal in Last 4

Salah shows the way

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah celebrates a goal against Morocco. Pic/AFP

Mohamed Salah scored the equaliser and created the winner to inspire Egypt’s comeback to beat Morocco 2-1 after extra time and reach the African Cup semi-finals on Sunday. Egypt fell behind to an early penalty won by Achraf Hakimi and converted by Sofiane Boufal in the seventh minute.

Egypt captain Salah reacted quickly to knock in a rebound to make it 1-1 in the 53rd and sent in a perfect low cross for Trezeguet to tap in near the end of the first half of extra time. Egypt was left to rely on third-choice goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhy for most of extra time after an injury to Mohamed Abou Gabal, who was already in the team in place of first choice Mohamed el-Shenawy.

Abou Gabal was injured in normal time, but tried to play through it. He couldn’t and had to come off in the sixth minute of extra time, leaving the 22-year-old Sobhy to make his debut for his country at the end of a high-pressure game. In the end he wasn’t tested and Salah and Trézéguet combined for the winner four minutes after Sobhy came on.

Meanwhile, Sadio Mane’s Senegal marched on to the semi-finals after seeing off a spirited Equatorial Guinea side with a 3-1 victory in Yaounde. Mane set up the opener for Famara Diedhiou in the last-eight encounter, but Equatorial Guinea fought back to equalise through Jannick Buyla early in the second half. Substitutes Cheikhou Kouyate and Ismaila Sarr then both found the net to seal Senegal’s place in the semi-finals.

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