The Super Eagles’ early elimination at the Africa Cup of Nations is proof of just how hard it is to navigate the tournament’s various pitfalls, according to Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.
The Liverpool superstar was the Man of the Match on Sunday as the Pharaohs defeated Morocco 2-1 in extra time to set up a semi-final against Cameroon at the Stade d’Olembe on February 3.
Assessing just how hard it is for teams to advance in the competition, Salah has pointed to the example of Nigeria—who started quickly before their elimination by Tunisia—as evidence of just how demanding the competition is.
“Nigeria had been the best team in the group stage and then they lost,” Salah told GOAL, “so you never know with any game. It’s tough for everyone.
“Algeria lost in the group stage, having won it last time, and they had a great team.
“Senegal qualified with one goal," he added. “I’m not saying something bad, just that the tournament is tough.”
Salah was effectively neutralised in Egypt’s opening game of the tournament as they fell to a 1-0 defeat by a rampant Super Eagles side in Garoua.
While Nigeria followed that up with victories over Sudan and Guinea-Bissau, qualifying comfortably for the Last 16, their campaign came to a premature end with 1-0 defeat against Tunisia in the second round.
While errors from Maduka Okoye and Ola Aina were blamed for the defeat, as well as Alex Iwobi’s red card, Nigeria could only deliver a pale imitation of their group-stage performances as they limped out of the competition.
Egypt, by contrast, have grown in stature, bouncing back from that defeat with consecutive victories over their Group D opponents before downing the Ivory Coast in the Round of 16.
While the Pharaohs required penalties to eliminate the Elephants following a 0-0 draw, theirs was a performance built on the rugged qualities that have made the seven-time champions the most successful side in the competition’s history.
Next up for Egypt is a meeting with hosts Cameroon, who defeated The Gambia in their quarter-final, at the Stade d’Olembe, Yaounde.
