Egyptian international Mohamed Salah responded to criticisms aimed at the Africa Cup of Nations being hosted by Cameroon, which discussed the perceived lack of quality in the matches and the performance of the participating teams. The Liverpool player viewed Nigeria's surprising exit from the Round of 16 after losing to Tunisia 1-0 as evidence of the rising standards of the tournament and the teams.
According to "Liverpool Echo," Salah stated that reaching the later stages of the Africa Cup of Nations is not an easy feat. He mentioned, "Nigeria was the best team in the group stage, but they lost and exited the tournament. It is difficult to predict match outcomes; all matches are tough." He continued, "Algeria was eliminated in the group stage despite having a fantastic team. Likewise, Senegal qualified for the Round of 16 with just one goal."
Salah led the Egyptian team to the semi-finals after scoring a goal and assisting the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Morocco on Sunday. This victory marked Egypt's fourth win in their history against Morocco, and it was the first time they scored more than one goal against the "Atlas Lions" since their 3-2 victory in April 1971.
Salah, who was named the best player of the match, commented on the performance of the "Pharaohs," saying, "We won against a prestigious team like Morocco, and I congratulate all Egyptians. We performed excellently against a strong opponent who did not leave us space, but we played well and won, and that is the most important thing," as quoted by Reuters.
Egypt will face the Cameroonian team, which defeated Gambia 2-0 on Saturday, in a match scheduled for Thursday to determine who qualifies for the Africa Cup of Nations final, alongside the winner of the match between Senegal and Burkina Faso.
