Mohamed Salah cut a happy figure as Egypt put the finishing touches on their preparations for Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Morocco. Salah <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2022/01/26/mohamed-salah-scores-shootout-winner-as-egypt-beat-ivory-coast-at-afcon/" target="_blank">smashed home the winning penalty in Egypt's last-16 shootout victory over Ivory Coast</a> on Wednesday to clinch a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/2022/01/26/achraf-hakimi-fires-morocco-into-africa-cup-of-nations-quarter-finals-after-malawi-scare/" target="_blank">last-eight showdown with Morocco</a>. The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/liverpool" target="_blank">Liverpool</a> forward has scored only once in open play at Afcon 2021, netting the winner in the Pharaohs' 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau in the group stage. Fellow Premier League player Mohamed Elneny, who plays for <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/arsenal" target="_blank">Arsenal</a>, also took part in the training session at in Yaounde, Cameroon overseen by Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz. Morocco-Egypt is the heavyweight quarter-final, Saturday’s joust between Burkina Faso and Tunisia perhaps the most intriguingly balanced. The David versus Goliath encounter takes place in Douala, where a poor playing surface has tripped up some of the finest players at the tournament. The Gambia, Afcon debutants, take on Cameroon, who have the look of favourites as long as skipper Vincent Aboubaker remains such a potent threat. Equatorial Guinea <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2022/01/17/equatorial-guinea-pull-off-shock-win-to-end-algerias-35-match-unbeaten-run/">effectively ousted holders Algeria</a> and now fly the flag for the unheralded and the underdogs in the quarter-finals where they will meet Senegal on Sunday.
