Egypt cruise into semi-finals

Egypt's 39-year-old captain Hossam Hassan steered the hosts to a 4-1 victory over DR Congo yesterday that booked them into an African Nations Cup semi-final against Senegal.

Midfielder Ahmed Hassan converted a 33rd-minute penalty and Hossam Hassan drilled the second before team-mate Zaher El Sakka scored an own goal for Congo in first-half stoppage time.

Striker Emad Moteab put the result beyond doubt in the 57th minute from close range and Ahmed Hassan added his second of the night with a free-kick in the 88th minute.

Without injured striker Mido, the hosts still had the upper hand and never looked like losing before a packed International Stadium crowd of nearly 80,000.

Egypt used a three-man attack with Moteab, Hossam Hassan and Amr Zaki against a Congolese side whose stay has been marked by haggling over bonuses and who only qualified on goal difference

Kick-off was preceded by a short silence in memory of the victims of the Red Sea ferry carrying 1,300 mainly Egyptian passengers which sank overnight.

Senegal sealed their place in Tuesday's semi-final in Cairo with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Guinea in the earlier quarter-final at Alexandria.

Senegal scored three goals in the last half-hour to beat surprise package Guinea. Senegal qualified despite losing two of their three group games and were missing injured striker El Hadji Diouf.

Quarter-final action continues today with Nigeria's game against Tunisia in Port Said and Cameroon's against Ivory Coast in Cairo.

o Ghana midfielder Laryea Kingston will almost certainly miss the World Cup finals after his appeal against a four-game ban was turned down. Kingston was sent off in his country's 1-0 victory over Senegal in the African Nations Cup last week after a punch-up with Senegal's Habib Beye. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said in Cairo that the appeals by both Kingston and Beye against the bans had been disqualified because they had not been lodged in time. Beye was also handed a four-game ban - a record at the Nations Cup.