Wael Gomaa believes Egypt allowed Senegal to control their AFCON 2025 semi-final, arguing the Pharaohs were tactically and offensively below the level shown in Cameroon 2021.
Senegal beat Egypt 1–0 to reach the final, while Hossam Hassan’s side now head to the third-place playoff.
Speaking to beIN Sports, Gomaa said Egypt “handed themselves” to Senegal, explaining that the entire game plan focused on stopping crosses, which the players largely managed to do, only for the decisive danger to come from a long-range shot outside the box. He highlighted that Egypt’s only attempt on goal arrived in the 95th minute, proof in his eyes that the team posed almost no attacking threat.
Gomaa admitted that reaching the semi-finals is a very good outcome given Egypt’s current circumstances, but stressed that this performance level “does not suit” a seven-time African champion.
For him, the real achievement for such a squad should be reaching the final itself. He concluded that the overall display was not satisfying and insisted Egypt’s performance at AFCON 2021 was clearly superior to what they have produced in Morocco 2025.
