Egypt Overcome Benin and Brace for a Tougher Test at the Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations being held in Morocco after an exciting 3–1 victory over Benin in a match that went to extra time and featured dramatic moments, along with new historic milestones for star forward Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian team entered the match with clear intent and an early desire to settle matters, dominating proceedings from the opening minutes and repeatedly threatening the goal through the movements of Omar Marmoush and Salah. However, the final touch was lacking for the Pharaohs despite their relative superiority.

Marmoush came close to opening the scoring early on after finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but the chance went begging, before Egypt suffered a painful blow in the 42nd minute when defender Mohamed Hamdy was forced off in tears. Head coach Hossam Hassan later confirmed that the player had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, bringing his tournament to an early end.

After a goalless first half, Marwan Attia finally broke Benin’s defensive resistance in the 69th minute with a precise long-range strike that found the top corner of the net, scoring his first international goal for Egypt. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as Benin equalized in the 83rd minute through Jodel Dossou, benefiting from a deflected cross that deceived goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.

The score remained level until the end of normal time, sending both teams into extra time, where Egypt appeared sharper and more composed. Marwan Attia shone once again by delivering a perfect cross that Yasser Ibrahim headed into the net in the first period of extra time, also registering his first international goal.

As Benin pushed forward in search of another equalizer, Egypt exploited the space left at the back, delivering the decisive blow in stoppage time of the second extra-time period. Ahmed Sayed “Zizo” led a swift counter-attack before laying the ball off to Salah, who finished superbly to seal the win and continue writing history. Salah took his international tally to 64 goals, closing in on his coach Hossam Hassan’s record as Egypt’s all-time top scorer. He is also now just two goals away from equaling Hassan El Shazly’s record as Egypt’s leading scorer in the history of the tournament. In addition, the Pharaohs’ captain made his 22nd appearance in the finals, surpassing his current coach.

Salah expressed his happiness with the victory, stating that the performance was good and that Egypt deserved to qualify, while also noting that Egypt are not among the main favorites to win the title due to the squad’s reliance on a large number of domestic league players.

Egypt will face the winner of the Ivory Coast versus Burkina Faso clash in the quarter-finals, in a highly anticipated encounter scheduled to take place today in Agadir, amid hopes among supporters of extending a successful continental campaign.

Nigeria also booked their place in the quarter-finals after a crushing 4–0 win over Mozambique in a match in which they asserted complete dominance.

Italian Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman starred by scoring the opening goal and assisting two others, while Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen netted twice. Sevilla’s Akor Adams added the fourth goal with a fine strike, having also set up two goals for his teammates.

Mozambique were unable to cope with the strength and pace of the Nigerian side, who could have scored even more goals. It was the biggest win of the tournament being held in Morocco, setting up a quarter-final showdown for the Super Eagles against either Algeria or the Democratic Republic of Congo in Marrakech.