SAN-PÉDRO, Ivory Coast: Record seven-time champions Egypt, lacking injured talisman Mohamed Salah, were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday after losing a penalty shootout 8-7 against DR Congo.
Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi converted the winning spot-kick in San-Pedro after fellow shot-stopper Mohamed Abou Gabal had seen his kick strike the bar and fly over.
A tense last-16 clash finished 1-1 after extra time with Meschack Elia scoring on 37 minutes for DR Congo and Mostafa Mohamed equalising in first-half added time from a penalty.
Liverpool star Salah was injured in a group match against Ghana and returned to his club, who said he would probably only be able to return to the tournament if Egypt reached the final.
DR Congo will face Guinea, last-gasp 1-0 winners over Equatorial Guinea earlier on Sunday, next Friday in Abidjan for a place in the semifinals.
Egypt and DR Congo may between them have won nine of the previous 33 Cup of Nations tournaments, but neither country managed even one victory in the group stage in the Ivory Coast this month.
They finished runners-up to Cape Verde and Morocco respectively in mini-leagues with identical records of three draws and three points.
Where they differed was in the number of goals scored with Egypt netting six times, including three from France-based Mohamed, and DR Congo only twice.
This was the fifth AFCON clash between the countries from 1970 with the Pharaohs defeating the Leopards three times and losing once ahead of the showdown in the west Ivorian coastal city.
Notable absentees through injuries were Egyptian Mohamed el Shenawy, widely regarded as the best Africa-based goalkeeper, and DR Congo playmaker Gael Kakuta.
Egypt dominated possession in a cagey opening half until DR Congo snatched the lead with a controversial Elia goal.
DR Congo took a throw-in that Egypt claimed should have been theirs and, while the north Africans protested, Yoane Wissa crossed for Elia to nod into the net at the far post.
A VAR review confirmed the goal and the off-field officials were also involved in the Egyptian equalizer a minute into added time at the end of the first half.
The South African referee initially waved play on after Dylan Batubinsika elbowed Egypt captain Ahmed Hegazy in the face, but awarded a penalty after reviewing the incident on the monitor.
Mohamed maintained his goal-a-game record in the Ivory Coast by sending Mpasi the wrong way as he slammed the spot-kick into the roof of the net.
DR Congo won more of the ball as the second half progressed, but even half-chances for both sides remained scarce with defenses marshalled by Hegazy and Chancel Mbemba on top.
In an attempt to bolster their attack, the Congolese replaced veteran forward Cedric Bakambu with Simon Banza, the 14-goal leading scorer in the Portuguese league this season.
With Egypt a man short after Mohamed Hamdy was sent-off, DR Congo applied constant extra-time pressure, but could not score a winning goal.
Egypt knocked out of AFCON by DR Congo after penalty shootout
https://arab.news/4m3q3
Egypt knocked out of AFCON by DR Congo after penalty shootout
- DR Congo will face Guinea, last-gasp 1-0 winners over Equatorial Guinea earlier on Sunday, next Friday in Abidjan for a place in the semifinals
Jeers as Real Madrid loses 2-1 to Man City and pressure grows on Alonso. Arsenal wins, PSG draws
- Record 15-time European champions Madrid are seventh in the standings, with only the top eight teams automatically advancing to the round of 16
- Italian champions Napoli lost 2-0 at Benfica, while Weston McKennie was on target for Juventus in a 2-0 win at Pafos
MANCHESTER, England: The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso and a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday raised further questions about his future.
Arsenal remains perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao.
The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round and Alonso had faced reports this week that he had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after a latest defeat. It’s now just two wins in eight games for Madrid and back-to-back home losses.
There were jeers inside the Bernabeu at the final whistle.
“We know it’s a tough moment for us and for the coach,” Madrid winger Rodrygo said. “Things are not going our way and I wanted to show that we are behind our the coach. He has been trying. I wanted to show that we are together and we need to be united to keep moving forward and achieve our goals.”
Rodrygo had put Madrid in front in the 28th minute, but goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland before halftime sealed victory for City.
Alonso looked frustrated on the sidelines as he watched his blunt attack waste chances to salvage something in the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappé, who was an unused substitute.
Vinicius Junior failed to hit the target with two chances from close range and Jude Bellingham lifted another effort over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Asked if he was worried about his future, Alonso said: “I’m worried about our next match. The important thing here is Real Madrid. It’s about the team, the players, and how I can help them. This isn’t about me.”
Bellingham said the squad was “100 percent” behind Alonso.
“The noise will not be helpful. So it’s about us trying to figure it out inside the dressing room,” Bellingham told TNT Sports.
Record 15-time European champion Madrid is seventh in the standings, with only the top eight teams automatically advancing to the round of 16.
“As a player inside the changing room, seeing what we’ve got in there, working with the coach every day, I think we have everything we need to turn it around,” Bellingham said.
Arsenal stays perfect
Top of the Premier League and top of the Champions League, too, Arsenal swept aside Club Brugge to maintain its 100 percent record in Europe.
Noni Madueke scored twice and Gabriel Martinelli got the other for Mikel Arteta’s team, which has seen its lead in England’s top flight cut from six points to two in recent weeks.
There are no such concerns in Europe.
“Our mentality is our strength,” Arteta said.
PSG couldn’t find a winner in Bilbao, but with 13 points after six games, the French giant has already equaled the total amount it picked up in the league phase last season before going on to win the trophy.
Italian champion Napoli lost 2-0 at Benfica, while Weston McKennie was on target for Juventus in a 2-0 win at Pafos.
Both Napoli and Juventus have only won two of their six games in the league phase.
Newcastle denied late
Alejandro Grimaldo made the difference again for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring in the 88th to rescue a 2-2 draw against Newcastle.
Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand missed the game for personal reasons, the club said an hour before kickoff.
Jeers rang out at full time at Borussia Dortmund after Norway’s Bodo/Glimt sealed a 2-2 draw, equalizing twice after Julian Brandt goals for Dortmund.
The result helps neither team, with Dortmund’s chances of direct qualification for the round of 16 taking a dent. Bodo/Glimt has three draws but no wins in its debut Champions League season.
Ajax rallies to beat Qarabag
Ajax scored three goals late in the game to deny Qarabag a surprise win in one of the early kickoffs.
Four-time European champion Ajax twice trailed against its Azerbaijani opponent, but fought back to win 4-2 in Baku.
Qarabag has been one of the surprise packages in this season’s competition and led after 10 minutes through Camilo Duran. Matheus Silva scored two minutes into the second half to make it 2-1 after Kasper Dolberg had leveled for Ajax.
But Ajax powered back with three goals in 11 minutes. Oscar Gloukh scored in the 79th and 90th, with Anton Gaaei getting the other in the 82nd.
Copenhagen also scored late to win 3-2 at Villarreal.
Substitute Andreas Cornelius struck in the 90th to seal victory in a game where Copenhagen had twice been pegged back after taking the lead.
