Mohamed Salah stars again for Egypt
Mohamed Salah scored with the last kick in extra time to seal’s Egypt’s 3-1 win over Benin in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16, and Nigeria enjoyed a 4-0 rout of Mozambique. Egypt had to dig deep after being surprisingly held to 1-1 in normal time after Benin’s Jodel Dossou pounced on a rebound to level the game in the 83rd minute. “Before the game, I said there are no easy teams, and Benin were a tough opponent,” Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said.
The Pharaohs dominated from the start but had to wait till the 69th before Marwan Attia finally made the breakthrough. Attia was involved again when Yasser Ibrahim met his cross with a looping header to send the ball inside the top left corner in the seventh minute of extra time. Salah had the final say on a counterattack, shooting past Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou from outside the penalty box after Zizo played him through.
It was his third goal of the tournament. Benin coach Gernot Rohr was encouraged by his team’s performance without injured forward Steve Mounié. “In a match like this he would have helped us a lot, particularly in aerial play,” the German said. “But as head coach, I am proud of my players. I take away their attitude tonight, their solidarity and fighting spirit. That is very positive for the future of the Cheetahs.”
Egypt, which has played every game in Agadir, will stay in the coastal city for a quarterfinal on Saturday against Burkina Faso or defending champion Ivory Coast, who were meeting on Tuesday. The Pharaohs will have an extra day of rest before facing their next opponents as they bid for a record-extending eighth title. Egypt was dealt a blow before the break when left back Mohamed Hamdy went off on a stretcher with what looked like a serious left knee injury after his foot connected with Dokou Dodo’s head.
