Egypt’s Apology Moment: Ibrahim Adel Speaks Up After Senegal’s AFCON Semi Shock

Match aftermath and apologies

Ibrahim Adel, the winger for Al Jazira and the Egypt national team, issued a public apology to the Egyptian people after the Pharaohs’ 0-1 defeat to Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final held in Morocco.

Adel spoke after the final whistle, saying: "We feel the heartbreak of losing to Senegal; we had hoped to seal a place in the final."

He added that the Egyptian side will push to finish third, even though the objective had been lifting the trophy.

Separately, goalkeeper Mustafa Shobier commented on the defeat, noting that said, "God’s will and what He desires... we aimed to win the title, but luck did not favour us against Senegal."

Senegal to the final

Senegal advanced to the final to meet the winner of the Morocco-Nigeria clash on Sunday, sealing their place in the championship decider.

Egypt’s campaign ends here, with their captain now looking toward a possible third-place finish and a chance to reflect on what went right and what could have been.

Punchline time: If football ever needed a reminder that timing is everything, this match showed the clock doesn’t count seconds, it counts heartbeats—and apparently the clock won this round too.

And for the record, if you’re keeping score at home, the ball still knows where it’s going even when the players don’t. Pro tip: the ball is not great at keeping secrets either—especially when it’s found in the back of the net.