Ivory Coast’s hopes of retaining their continental crown were shattered on Saturday night after a dramatic 3-2 defeat by Egypt in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, a result that left head coach Emerse Faé openly lamenting the manner of his side’s exit.
The African champions were undone by a combination of early defensive mistakes and the ruthless efficiency of an Egyptian attack led by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
A chaotic opening four minutes set the tone when errors from Franck Kessié and Odilon Kossounou gifted Marmoush the chance to open the scoring, immediately forcing the Elephants onto the back foot.
Although Ivory Coast twice clawed their way back into the contest, the damage had already been done.
Egypt remained composed in front of goal and, when the moment came, they struck with precision.
Salah, who was later named man of the match, delivered the decisive third goal to seal the Pharaohs’ place in the semi-finals and bring a premature end to Ivory Coast’s bid for a historic double.
Faé, visibly affected in the aftermath, refused to hide behind referees or circumstances, instead pointing firmly at the failings within his own team.
Speaking after the match, he laid bare the disappointment felt in the Ivorian camp.
“ We are frustrated with this result. We had prepared the players for this match, but unfortunately, we made far too many mistakes where we shouldn’t have ,” Faé told Canal+ Afrique.
The coach was particularly troubled by the timing of the goals conceded, highlighting moments that swung the momentum irreversibly in Egypt’s favour.
“ Conceding a goal so early handicapped us. We didn’t get into the game quickly. When you’re behind against Egypt , it’s complicated. We made the game too easy for them by making mistakes. The third goal came at the worst possible time. We came back fresh after the break, and then, another mistake, especially mistakes we don’t usually make. We’re disappointed. We made mistakes that cost us dearly. Conceding the first goal so early and the third right after the restart really hurt us ,” Faé added.
For Ivory Coast, the defeat carried a heavy emotional weight.
Just two years earlier they had ridden a wave of belief to lift the trophy in extraordinary circumstances, and many expected the Elephants to once again assert themselves among the continent’s elite.
Instead, the quarter-final exit forces a sobering reassessment of a campaign that promised so much but unravelled in moments of carelessness.
Egypt, by contrast, marched on with renewed confidence.
Their blend of experience and composure proved decisive, with Salah again demonstrating why he remains one of African football’s defining figures in high-stakes encounters.
The Pharaohs will now prepare for a mouth-watering semi-final against Senegal, a clash that will bring together two of the tournament’s biggest stars in Salah and Sadio Mané.
For Ivory Coast, however, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is over, leaving behind lingering regret and a lingering sense that their own errors, more than the brilliance of their opponents, ultimately sabotaged their quest to defend the title.
