Egypt & Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has been named Man of the Match for his performance against Ivory Coast in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16.
The Pharaohs have managed to reach the quarterfinals of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after a dramatic victory over Ivory Coast in the penalty shootouts.
Despite being the least favorite going into the game, Egypt were the better side and managed to create several clear-cut chances, and the main reason behind that was the midfield.
The three-man midfield consisted of Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny and Al Ahly duo Amr El-Sulya and Hamdi Fathi, who to battle for the ball against the likes of Franck Kessie, Ibrahim Sangaré, and Jean Michaël Seri.
While El-Sulya and Fathi impressed in the midfield, it was Elneny who shone throughout the 120 minutes and even came close to hit the back of the net with a deflected shot, but it was parried away by keeper Badra Ali Sangaré.
For his performance, Elneny was awarded the Man of the Match award on his 84th cap, becoming the third Egyptian to win the award in this competition after Mohamed Salah & Ahmed Hegazi.
He will hope to replicate these performances once again when The Pharaohs face Morocco in the quarterfinals next Sunday, 30 January at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.
