Egypt wrote an unwelcome chapter in their Africa Cup of Nations history during the semi-final against Senegal in Morocco, registering a rare and negative statistic in the first half.
The Pharaohs went into the break without managing a single shot on goal, a stark reflection of Senegal’s early dominance.
Opta data showed that Egypt became the first team ever in AFCON semi-final history to finish the opening 45 minutes without attempting a single shot. Senegal controlled play with 70% possession, leaving Egypt on just 30% and struggling to progress the ball into dangerous areas.
The Lions of Teranga fired four shots before half-time, two of them on target, but goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy kept Egypt alive with assured saves. Despite the lack of attacking threat from a side led by star forward Mohamed Salah, the scoreline remained 0-0, keeping hopes alive for a response after the interval.
This unprecedented first-half display underlined how much Egypt were forced onto the back foot, and highlighted the scale of the task facing them to turn the tide against a confident Senegal side.
