Egypt’s 3-1 victory over Benin in the Africa Cup of Nations last-16 clash looked comfortable on paper, but the reality was far tougher. The seven-time champions were pushed to extra time by a resilient Benin side before finally sealing their place in the quarter-finals.
The match in Agadir was evenly contested for long spells, with Benin’s “Cheetahs” pressing aggressively and refusing to give Mohamed Salah’s team any breathing space.
Salah Makes Egypt AFCON History in Dramatic Finish
Marwan Atiya broke the deadlock in the 68th minute with a stunning long-range strike, curling the ball into the net to give Egypt the lead. However, Benin refused to surrender. Jodel Dossou equalized in the 84th minute after Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy initially blocked the effort, only for the rebound to fall kindly to the Benin forward.
With the match tied 1-1 after regulation time, extra time was required to separate the sides. Yasser Ibrahim restored Egypt’s lead with a powerful header, and deep into stoppage time, Salah delivered the decisive blow.
“𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓-𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎,” 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒉 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.
Salah’s late goal was historic, taking his AFCON tally to 10 goals. He became just the third Egyptian player to reach double figures in the tournament’s history, joining legends Hassan El Shazli and Hossam Hassan.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉. 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒈𝒚𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍.
Benin had chances of their own, especially in the second half, but Egypt’s experience and composure ultimately made the difference. Substitutions in midfield and attack helped the Pharaohs regain control during extra time.
Egypt, Africa’s most successful national team, has now reached the quarter-finals for the third time in five years. They will remain in Agadir ahead of their last-eight clash against either defending champions, the Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso.
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