Mohamed Salah found the net as Egypt edged out Ivory Coast 3-2, sending the defending champions packing in a wild Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final on Saturday.

Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia got Egypt off to a flying start, but then Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh accidentally put one in his own net before halftime.

After the break, Salah doubled Egypt’s lead—pulling himself closer to that elusive first AFCON winner’s medal. Guela Doue gave Ivory Coast hope with a goal, but it wasn’t enough.

Now Egypt heads to Tangiers to take on Senegal on Wednesday. Whoever wins goes to the final, where Morocco or Nigeria will be waiting four days later.

This win in Agadir just added to Egypt’s dominance over Ivory Coast in this tournament. They’ve clashed for 56 years, and Egypt now boasts 11 wins to Ivory Coast’s single victory.

Ivory Coast also joined a not-so-great club: the eighth straight defending champs who failed to keep their crown since Egypt pulled it off in 2010.

Salah’s trophy cabinet is already stacked—Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Club World Cup. But the one he wants most, the AFCON medal, keeps slipping away.

He’s been so close. Twice he finished as a runner-up—falling to Cameroon in 2017 and then Senegal five years later. Twice, Egypt crashed out unexpectedly in the last 16. Now, Salah is just two games from finally making his dream come true and handing Egypt a record eighth AFCON title.

He landed in Morocco with rumours swirling about his Liverpool future after venting his frustration following a draw at Leeds. Benched after some rough games, Salah claimed he’d been “thrown under the bus”.

But at AFCON, he’s looked sharp again. He scored the winner against Zimbabwe and South Africa in the group stage, then knocked out Benin with another crucial goal in the last 16.

On Saturday, Egypt barely let fans settle in before they struck. Just three minutes in, Marmoush—yes, the Manchester City forward—scored after Emam Ashour slid him a perfect pass and Odilon Kossounou lost his footing. Marmoush coolly finished past Yahia Fofana.

Egypt doubled their lead after 32 minutes. Rabia climbed high at the far post to connect with a Salah corner, and his looping header left Fofana stranded.

Ivory Coast needed something, fast. They got a lifeline at 40 minutes, thanks to a freak own goal. Yan Diomande floated in a free kick, Kossounou nodded it toward goal, and the ball ricocheted off Aboul-Fetouh’s midsection and in.

Salah came through again just seven minutes into the second half. Ashour, who’s been a force for Al Ahly, won the ball on the left, swung in a perfectly measured low cross, and Salah poked it home under pressure from Ghislain Konan.

Ivory Coast had staged a comeback from two down against Gabon, and they cut the deficit again with 17 minutes to go. Egypt failed to clear a corner, and Doue was there to flick the ball past the veteran keeper Mohamed El Shenawy, setting up a nervy finish.

Tottenham’s injury nightmare just got worse. Richarlison limped off early in their FA Cup third-round match against Aston Villa, leaving Spurs fans with another headache. The Brazilian striker, only just back in the starting lineup, pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem and didn’t even make it to halftime. Now, everyone’s holding their breath, hoping it’s not as bad as it looked.

Things kept unravelling after Richarlison went off. Spurs had already come into the game in rough shape, with just one win from their last six matches. Thomas Frank, under pressure, needed a result to ease the tension, but Villa had other ideas. Emi Buendia put the visitors ahead just 22 minutes in, and Richarlison’s injury quickly followed, making a tough night even worse.

After some treatment on the pitch, Richarlison couldn’t carry on. Frank threw on Randal Kolo Muani, who’d started against Bournemouth, but that didn’t turn things around. Right before halftime, Morgan Rogers slipped another past Guglielmo Vicario, and suddenly Spurs were staring down a two-goal deficit.

Tottenham showed a bit more fight after the break. Wilson Odobert pulled one back, grabbing his second of the season, and for a short while, it looked like they might claw their way back. Xavi Simons even thought he’d levelled things up, rounding the keeper and slotting home, but the flag went up for offside. That was pretty much it. Villa held on during stoppage time and handed Spurs their 11th loss of the season that’s quickly going off the rails.

After the final whistle, Morgan Rogers, who scored what turned out to be the winner, summed it up: “First half, we were good. In the second half, they came at us, but we dug deep. We deserved it.” He’s in form, and so is the whole Villa side—13 wins in their last 15 games in all competitions.

Back to Spurs, Frank has more problems than answers. Richarlison’s status is up in the air, and the injury list just keeps growing. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, and Mohamed Kudus are all sidelined. There was a bit of good news: Dominic Solanke made his return from an ankle injury, coming off the bench late on, and Destiny Udogie was back among the subs after his own hamstring trouble.

Frank gave updates on the walking wounded before kickoff. Bergvall and Bentancur are still under assessment, and Kudus is out until after the March international break with a quad tendon injury. Kulusevski’s situation is tricky—a knee problem that’s proving stubborn. Frank said, “If anyone can get back fast, it’s Dejan. He’s a top pro. We just need the pain in his knee to settle. He got an injection 10 days ago, so in three or four weeks, we’ll know more. When the pain’s gone, he’ll get back on the grass, and we’ll see.”

Tottenham will try to regroup and get things back on track against West Ham next Sunday. After another round of boos from the home fans, they need a lift—fast. Villa, meanwhile, are flying high and will find out who they play next in the FA Cup draw on Monday before facing Everton in the league. Spurs just need some good news, and right now, that feels in short supply.