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Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations journey came to a disappointing end on Sunday night as they were eliminated in a penalty shootout by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Despite being one of the pre-tournament favorites, Egypt failed to secure a single win in four games, leaving them without a chance to lift the trophy.
Adding to their woes, captain and star player Mohamed Salah suffered an injury and had to leave the squad early.
The match against DR Congo ended 1-1 at the end of extra time, with Meschack Elia scoring for DR Congo in the 37th minute and Mostafa Mohamed equalizing for Egypt from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time.
With no further goals, the game went into a shootout after Mohamed Hamdy was sent off for a second booking in the first half of extra time.
This was not Egypt’s first experience with shootouts, as they were involved in three shootouts in four knockout ties in the previous Afcon tournament.
Unfortunately, Egypt’s luck ran out this time, with Mohamed missing the target and Gabaski putting Egypt’s ninth penalty over.
Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi made no mistake, securing DR Congo’s victory and a spot in the quarter-finals.
For Egypt, this defeat is a bitter pill to swallow. Their hopes of winning their first Afcon title since 2010 were dashed, especially after Salah’s injury setback.
Salah had returned to his club for treatment, hoping to make a comeback for the later stages of the competition.
However, his dream of winning the title with his country will have to wait.
On the other hand, this victory marks a significant milestone for DR Congo, as it is their first knockout win at the tournament since reaching the semi-finals in 2015.
Mpasi, the hero of the shootout, revealed that they had practiced penalties extensively in training, and his composure paid off when it mattered the most.
Despite the disappointment, Egypt can take pride in their performance and look forward to future tournaments with the hope of reclaiming the Afcon title.
As for DR Congo, they will be riding high on their victory and aiming to continue their success in the quarter-finals.
This article was updated 3 days ago