Egypt’s hopes for an eighth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title were dashed on Saturday, losing to South Africa 1-0 in the round of 16 after a string of poor performances.
The hosts controlled the pace for much of the match, but failed to capitalize on Mahmoud Trezeguet’s two point-blank range opportunities.
Goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy came up with a few saves of his own to keep the match scoreless.
Following a few head-scratching substitutions, the Bafana Bafana took advantage of the shape and balance Egypt lost to score the match’s lone goal.
It is Egypt’s earliest AFCON exit since 2004, not including three editions they failed to qualify for.
The loss could mean the end of manager Javier Aguirre’s disappointing spell in charge, with the Pharaohs seeming to steadily regress during his 12-match reign.
South Africa, meanwhile, advances to take on Nigeria in the quarterfinal.
Should Egypt dismiss Aguirre, they could be interested in Morocco manager Herve Renard, with whom Egypt failed to close a deal with multiple times in the past eight years.
Renard has hinted at his time with the Atlas Lions coming to a close, though he officially remains their manager.
Pharaohs XI 
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