Ghana and Egypt have been regular combatants at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, marking their seventh meeting at the finals with a quarter-final at the Suez Stadium on Monday (kick-off 18:00 local time / 15:00 GMT).
Both nations have won three of their previous six encounters, with one victory each coming via penalties.
In 1991, Egypt, as hosts, defeated Ghana 1-0 in the semi-finals and went on to win their second title. Ghana responded two years later, overcoming Egypt 3-1 in the semi-finals before claiming their first championship.
The teams met again in the 1997 group stage, where Ghana secured a 1-0 win and advanced alongside Morocco, while Egypt was eliminated.
In the 2001 semi-finals, Ghana triumphed on penalties after a 1-1 draw, eventually finishing as runners-up. Egypt earned a 2-1 group stage win over Ghana in 2013, with both sides progressing.
They met again in the final, which ended 1-1, with Egypt winning the penalty shootout 5-4 to lift the title.
On three occasions – 1991, 1993, and 2013 – the winner of this fixture went on to win the tournament. Only once, in 1997, have they met before the final and neither side reached it. In all other pre-final meetings, at least one of the two progressed to the final.
GHANA FACTS
·      Ghana topped Group C after a 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by consecutive 1-0 wins over Senegal and the Central African Republic. This is their third quarterfinal appearance, following 1989 and 2021.
·      In direct knockout matches at the finals since 1991, Ghana has played 10 games, winning seven and drawing three (including shootout outcomes). This is the 10th time Ghana has advanced beyond the group stage in a tournament with a group format.
·      In their previous two quarterfinal appearances, both games were decided on penalties. In 1989, they beat Algeria 3-0 in the first leg but lost the second leg by the same scoreline, eventually losing the shootout 5-4.
·      In 2021, a 1-1 draw against Cameroon was followed by a 4-2 penalty shootout win. A win in this quarterfinal would mark Ghana’s 10th semi-final appearance.
·      They have reached the last four in three of their last four tournament appearances – in 2013, 2015, and 2021 – failing only in 2019.
·      Ghana has been involved in six penalty shootouts at the finals, winning three and losing three. Their wins came against Egypt in the 2001 semi-finals (1-1, 6-5 on penalties), Mali in the 2013 semi-finals (0-0, 4-2), and Cameroon in the 2021 quarterfinals (1-1, 4-2).
·      Losses include the 1989 quarterfinal (5-4 to Algeria), 1997 semi-final (5-4 to South Africa), and the 2013 final against Egypt (5-4).
·      Against host nations, Ghana has only lost once – 1-0 to Egypt in the 1991 semi-finals. Since then, they’ve won four straight group games against hosts: Mauritius (1993), Morocco (1997), Rwanda (2009), and Algeria (2013), with the first two games ending 1-0 and the latter two 2-0.
·      Ghana scored just three goals in their three group games – their lowest return since 2003, when they also netted three times and were eliminated. This is the fewest goals they’ve scored in a group stage while still progressing to the knockout rounds. Their three goals at the current edition have come from three different players.
EGYPT FACTS
·      Egypt, seeking their second semi-final appearance as hosts after their 1991 title, began with a 1-0 win over South Africa, followed by a 4-1 loss to Sierra Leone, a 0-0 draw with Zambia, and a 1-0 victory over Tanzania. They finished third in Group A to reach the quarterfinals.
·      This is Egypt’s fifth quarterfinal appearance. In previous two-legged quarterfinals, they progressed only once, beating Zimbabwe 3-1 on aggregate in 1981. In 1983, they beat Guinea at home but lost 1-0 away and were eliminated on penalties (8-7). In 1987, they lost 5-2 on aggregate to Nigeria, and in 1989, a 2-0 first-leg loss to Mali followed by a 3-1 home win saw them eliminated on away goals.
·      Victory here would take Egypt to an eighth semi-final, with prior appearances in 1981, 1991, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, and 2013. This is the first time since 2013 they have advanced beyond the group stage, having exited in 2017 and 2023.
·      Egypt’s last knockout game at the finals was a 2-0 semi-final win over Nigeria in 2013. Since 1991, they’ve played six direct knockout games – all semi-finals – winning four and losing two, both on penalties. They’ve never lost a direct knockout match in open play in that span.
·      Egypt’s four penalty shootouts since 1991 have resulted in two wins and two losses. They lost to Ghana in 2001 (1-1, 6-5) and beat Benin in 2005 (1-1, 3-1) and Cameroon in 2011 (0-0, 4-2). Their last shootout win came in the 2013 final against Ghana (1-1, 5-4).
·      In their 1-0 win over Tanzania, Egypt held just 38.8% possession – their second-lowest of the tournament after their 38.4% possession in the win over South Africa.
·      They are the only quarter-finalists to advance with a negative goal difference and have the lowest shot conversion rate among all quarterfinalists at just 7.14%.