PORT-GENTIL, GABON -- One thud of the left foot was all it took. Mohamed Salah's influence in this Africa Nations Cup (ANC) had been growing steadily and when, 10 minutes into Egypt's critical Group D clash with Ghana, he lined up a 20-yard free kick there was a sense that this was precisely the kind of position where quality could be made to count. The audible smack of the ball spoke of the strike's cleanness; Razak Brimah, the Ghana goalkeeper, was motionless as it few past him and Egypt had an advantage they rarely looked like ceding.
So, after a 1-0 win, Egypt reach the last eight, where they will play north African rivals Morocco here in Port-Gentil, as group winners. Hector Cuper's side were happy to play largely on the counter after Salah's strike but Ghana, who had already made sure of their place in the knockout stage, only threatened sporadically to make their evening more awkward.
Hector Cuper's team are, after an awkward draw with Mali and a last-gasp win against Uganda, starting to come together nicely. Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny, under fire after unconvincing early performances, looked more like his old self in midfield while the addition of Abdallah Said, decisive off the bench against the Ugandans, added guile between the lines. Salah, causing problems from the right flank, was on song aside from his goal while Hull City's Ahmed Elmohamady, given his first appearance of this tournament, offered balance and composure at right-back. At the back, Al Ahly's Ahmed Hegazy was dominant all evening.
It has taken a while but perhaps Cuper's Pharoahs, playing in the African Nations Cup this year for the first time since defeating the Ghanaians by the same scoreline in the 2010 final, are shaping up to be serious contenders. They will fancy their chances against a Morocco side that, while coached by ANC master Herve Renard, certainly does not match them for quality. Win that tie and Burkina Faso or Tunisia, two good sides but perfectly beatable, will await; all of the sudden, you could make the argument that Egypt are favourites to reach the final.
"Our ambition is very high and we are happy to win such a tough game. Our next game is even more difficult but I promise our supporters back home that we will fight till the last second," Cuper said after the win over Ghana, offering standard platitudes about the Egypt camp's will to progress. They may be inconvenienced slightly by playing their last-eight tie on the patchy, bobbly pitch of Port-Gentil -- a surface completely unsuited to major tournament football -- although given that the alternative destination was Oyem, where much of Mali's game with Uganda on Wednesday was played in puddles, perhaps it is the lesser of two evils.
What is for sure is that the pitch does create something of a lottery and that could aid the Moroccans. Egypt vs. Ghana was the kind of game that, on a smooth surface, would have been eminently watchable -- played by two technically adept teams intent on playing the ball on the floor. Too often moves broke down due to unpredictable bounces or strange deviations, notably when Asamoah Gyan fed a breaking Andre Ayew perfectly in the first half only to see the ball sit up inconveniently to stall the move.
Frustrating as that was, Ghana's biggest problem may not have been the result. Gyan left the field before half-time with a groin injury, and went to hospital immediately for an MRI. It will be critical to Ghana's hopes that their captain and talisman has not suffered the degree of damage that would keep him out for the rest of the tournament and Avram Grant, who made changes to several areas of his team but persisted with Gyan in attack against Egypt, will face awkward questions if the injury proves serious.
"It doesn't look good but Gyan is a very strong boy, he will undergo medical scans first and then we can know better," Grant said, hardly inspiring confidence that Gyan will be fit to face DR Congo on Sunday. That will be another significant hurdle for his side although, with a full complement to pick from, Ghana would be considered favourites to progress.
Perhaps, then, Egypt and Ghana are on course to meet in a final once more. With Ivory Coast and Algeria eliminated the field is certainly lighter now and there is space for other powers to do something special. The flourish on this occasion was provided by a steadily improving Egypt.