- Mohamed Salah scored late to help Egypt beat Benin 3–1 and qualify for the AFCON 2025 quarterfinals.
- The intriguing knockout-stage encounter was played on Monday, January 5, at the Grand Stade d’Agadir.
- Marwan Attia, Yasser Ibrahim, and Salah netted the goals for the Pharaohs, while Jodel Dossou’s equaliser forced the match into extra time.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah delivered a dramatic last-minute goal as Egypt secured a desperate victory against a threatening Benin side, grinding out a pulsating 3-1 win in their AFCON 2025 Round of 16 clash to book a quarterfinal spot in Morocco.
Marwan Attia initially gave the Pharaohs the lead in a tense second half, before Benin’s super-substitute Jodel Dossou equalized seven minutes from the final whistle, forcing extra time.
Yasser Ibrahim then restored Egypt’s advantage with a pinpoint header, and Salah sealed the result, sending the record champions into the quarterfinals for the 21st time and marking their return after missing the last edition.
ALSO READ: Mohamed Aboutrika criticises Hugo Broos after South Africa’s AFCON 2025 elimination
Egypt beat Benin 3-1 to reach quarterfinals
At the Grande Stade d’Agadir, Egypt dominated the opening minutes.
Their clearest early opportunity came in the eighth minute when Salah produced a fantastic switched cross to Omar Marmoush, who dribbled from the halfway line and sprinted forward, only to mishit his shot as Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou gathered the ball between his legs.
Benin’s defense held firm in the 19th minute, clearing decisively after three Egyptian attempts.
A low cross from Mohamed Hamdy into the box just missed Salah’s outstretched leg amid a scramble, and the ball again fell to Trézéguet, but Dandjinou collected safely in a cagey opening where both sides exchanged blows.
By the half-hour mark, neither defense had been breached, with each team pushing hard for an opener.
Benin was forced into an early change when Tosin Aiyegun departed injured, replaced by Jodel Dossou.
Egypt’s Hassan Hossam also made a first-half substitution after Hamdy Fathy suffered a high boot injury from Rodolfo Aloko; Fathy was stretchered off and replaced by Ahmed Abou El Fotouh.
The first half saw Egypt waste clear chances to take the lead, while the Cheetahs of Benin threatened on the counter without finding precision in the final third, leaving the match goalless at the break.
After the restart, Egypt grew increasingly desperate for a breakthrough, but Benin’s resolute back line continued to frustrate them, denying clear pathways into the box.
In the 55th minute, the record champions came agonizingly close from a left-wing corner. Hamdy Fathy’s header drifted inches wide, and Ramy Rabia’s powerful follow-up was deflected behind by Benin right-back Tamimou Ouorou.
Salah had an opportunity in the 62nd minute, meeting a volleyed cross with a right-footed flick, but Dandjinou was again equal to it.
Benin nearly struck immediately afterward, a clever chipped cross found Dossou in the box, only for El Shenawy to produce a crucial save.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 69th minute.
A well-worked move down the right saw Salah find Mohamed Hany, whose cross to the edge of the box fell to Marwan Attia. The midfielder unleashed a powerful strike into the left corner to give Egypt the lead.
Just as Egypt believed they had done enough, Benin’s discipline was rewarded in the 82nd minute.
El Shenawy gave the ball away, allowing Junior Olaitan to curl a volley toward goal; the keeper parried it, but the alert Dossou was perfectly placed to tap home the equalizer, sending the match into extra time.
In the added period, Egypt again pressed desperately for a winner. They reclaimed the lead in the 96th minute from a set piece corner Attia’s floated ball from the left wing found Yasser Ibrahim, who powered a header from the left corner past Dandjinou.
Benin, weary but determined, pushed for another equalizer which never came. Yet Egypt held firm, and in the dying seconds, as Benin committed everyone forward, the Pharaohs launched a counterattack.
True to form, Mohamed Salah applied a composed finish into the back of the net, punishing Benin’s all-out effort and sending Egypt through to the quarterfinals for the 21st time as they continue their quest for an eighth title. Benin, meanwhile, must wait longer to progress beyond the Round of 16.
Egypt vs Benin – AFCON 2025 Round of 16 Lineups
- Egypt: Mohamed El Shenawy; Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hamdy, Mohamed Hany, Hamdy Fathy, Ibrahim Adel, Marwan Attia, Omar Marmoush, Trézéguet, Mohamed Salah
- Benin: Marcel Dandjinou; Mohamed Tijani, Olivier Verdon, Yohan Roche, Tamimou Ouorou, Sessi D’Almeida, Hassane Imourane, Dodo Dokou, Tosin Aiyegun, Junior Olaitan, Rodolfo Aloko