Gabon coach Ibela Ignambi believes his side should have pushed Egypt to the limit had they not been reduced to 10 men during their last fixture of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco on Saturday.

Gabon crumbled under pressure in the second half to lose 2-0 against the defending champions, their third consecutive loss in Group B at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier. Gabon were reduced to 10 men in the 42nd minute when Mouniengue Mbongui was sent off for a clumsy challenge with the game tied at 0-0.

However, Egypt took advantage of the numerical numbers to score two late goals courtesy of Mahmoud Hassan and Osama Abdelhady and condemn the already eliminated Gabon to defeat.

Read Also: AFCONU23: Egypt Remain On Course To Defend Title After Win Over Gabon

“The red card affected us. Egypt is a formidable team, and being reduced to ten players made it challenging for us,” Ignambi told the media after the game as quoted by CafOnline, adding: “We started the game well and had control, creating scoring opportunities. However, after receiving the red card, we became overly defensive.”

Despite his frustration with the defeat, Ignambi expressed confidence that the players have gained valuable experience from participating in the tournament.

“These young talents are the stars of tomorrow,” he said.

Egypt, who topped their Group with seven points, will now face Guinea in the last four of the tournament.