Russia (bbabo.net), - At the African Cup of Nations (CAN) held in Cameroon, all quarterfinal pairs have been determined. Two matches are scheduled for Saturday (Gambia - Cameroon and Burkina Faso - Tunisia), two more on Sunday (Egypt - Morocco, Senegal - Equatorial Guinea).
One of the main intrigues of the tournament is whether the superstar of the Egyptian team, Mohammed Salah, will be able to win the first major trophy with the national team. Together with Liverpool, the striker won a bunch of titles, became the winner of the Champions League, the English championship, the UEFA Super Cup, but has not yet achieved success with the Pharaohs.
It should be noted that Salah and his teammates could have left the CAN race already at the 1/8 final stage. The match with Ivory Coast turned out to be stubborn and fighting, everything was decided in a penalty shootout. In "football roulette" the Egyptians turned out to be more successful - 5:4.
- Of course, I want to win something with the national team. This is my country, what I love the most. Winning the African Cup would be something completely new for me, it would be the most dear to my heart. We were close to triumph in 2017, lost only in the final. Now the guys feel confident and want to take the cup, - said Salah.
For reaching the semifinals, the Egyptians will compete with another contender for victory in the tournament - the Moroccans. The "Lions" almost flew out to the 1/8 finals, but, losing in the course of the meeting with Malawi, they managed to win (2:1). At the same time, it is important to recall that due to a conflict with head coach Vahid Halilhodzic, Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech was not called up to the national team. However, even without him, the Moroccans are ready to fight for the title.
- They have a very strong team, everyone could see for themselves during the African Cup. We need to be careful. It is necessary to improve the game in some aspects in order to successfully confront Morocco, - said the coach of the "Pharaohs" Carlos Queiroz.
Egyptian star Mohamed Salah has yet to win a trophy with the national team
Talking about the favorites of the CAN, one cannot fail to note the hosts of the Cameroonian competitions. Although, unlike the same Egypt, the "indomitable lions" do not have any big names in their composition. And in the 1/8 final match, they almost embarrassed, snatching a victory from the Comoros (2: 1), and this despite the fact that the opponent had a field player at the gate and the islanders were in the minority already in the seventh minute.
By the way, in the course of the current African Cup, the judges have already removed 13 players - this is the same number as in the four previous competitions combined.
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