Egypt kept their bid for a record-extending eighth Africa Cup of Nations title alive with a pulsating 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast at Stade Adrar to secure their place in the semi-finals.

The Pharaohs made a dream start, taking the lead inside four minutes. Emam Ashour’s pass into the penalty area initially looked to have gone astray, but Omar Marmoush reacted quickest to win a 50-50 challenge before prodding the ball beyond Yahia Fofana to hand Egypt an early advantage.

Ivory Coast responded positively and were competitive throughout the opening exchanges. Evann Guessand went close to an equaliser when he met a delivery into the box, only to see his header drift narrowly wide of the right post.

Although the Elephants enjoyed more of the ball and applied sustained pressure, they were punished again just after the half-hour mark. Mohamed Salah’s corner found Ramy Rabia, whose looping header sailed into the top-right corner to double Egypt’s lead against the run of play.

Ivory Coast’s persistence was finally rewarded five minutes before the interval when a free-kick into the area caused problems, with Ahmed Fatouh inadvertently diverting the ball into his own net to give the Elephants a deserved lifeline before half-time.

Buoyed by that goal, Ivory Coast began the second half with renewed intent, but their hopes were dealt another blow just five minutes after the restart. Ashour once again provided the assist, sliding a pass across goal for Salah, who poked home to restore Egypt’s two-goal cushion.

The contest remained alive until the end after Guéla Doué forced the ball over the line from a corner to make it 3-2, setting up a tense finale. Despite enjoying overall dominance and pushing hard for an equaliser, Ivory Coast were unable to convert their superiority into another goal.

Egypt held firm in the closing stages to seal a dramatic victory and book a semi-final showdown with Senegal on Wednesday, while Ivory Coast were left to reflect on a performance that ultimately went unrewarded.