The Pharaohs of Egypt reached the finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Burkina Faso 4-3 on penalties in the first semi-final match on Wednesday.
The match at the Stade de l’Amitie had ended 1-1 after extra time and the winner had to be decided in the shootouts. Egypt had reached the semi-finals after beating North African rivals Morocco by a lone goal in the quarter-finals.
Record title holders in the tournament, the Pharaohs kept the pace with the Stallions, who were seeking to reach a second final in four years. It was Egypt’s star player Mohamed Salah who opened the score in the second half.
But six minutes later Ivory Coast-based Aristide Bancé equalised for the West Africans, who beat Tunisia 2-0 to reach this stage. With few incursions by either side thereafter, the match went into penalties and it was the record champions who had luck smiling at them.
Essam El Hadary was the hero as he made two saves including that of his opposite number Hervé Koffi. Coincidentally, Koffi made first save in the shootouts.
Egypt will await the winner of the second semi-final match between Ghana and Cameroon to be played on Thursday, for a final showdown on Sunday.
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