After a 31-year wait, Egypt finally laid their Moroccan ghosts to rest when Mahmoud Kahraba shocked the Atlas Lions with a late winner to lift his side to the African Cup of Nations semifinal on Sunday.
The Zamalek-bound winger, who is on loan at Saudi side, Ittihad, volleyed home from close range after a corner with two minutes remaining as Egypt secured a typical smash-and-grab victory to book a last-four berth on their first Nations Cup appearance since lifting the last of their record seven trophies in 2010.
The defeat will be hard to swallow for Morocco, who spurned several goal-scoring chances in an exciting second half, which stood in stark contrast to a dour first period.
Egypt last beat Morocco at the 1986 Nations Cup when they won 1-0 to reach the tournament’s final on home soil.
Since then, Egypt have met Morocco 12 times, drawing 8 matches and losing four.
They could not even beat Morocco when they won the Nations Cup in 1998 and 2006, losing 1-0 and drawing 0-0 respectively.
The Pharaohs will do battle with Burkina Faso in one of the semi final pairings on Wednesday.
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