Egypt and Morocco moved to within one step of repeating an achievement that has been missing for 21 years, after both countries booked their places in the semi-finals of the ongoing African competition.
Egypt secured qualification with a hard-fought win, continuing their strong run and keeping alive hopes of reaching the final. Morocco followed with a similarly decisive result to confirm their spot among the last four.
The two nations are now chasing a milestone that last happened in 2005, when Egypt and Morocco were both present in the semi-finals of the same African tournament. That remains the last time the duo reached this stage together, making the current campaign a chance to end a long wait.
With the semi-finals now set, Egypt and Morocco are each just one victory away from making history again by reaching the final and restoring a familiar North African presence at the top end of the competition.
The latest results have put both sides in position to revive that 2005 storyline, with attention now turning to whether they can complete the job in the next round.
