Egypt advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following their 3-1 extra-time win over Benin in Monday’s round of 16 tie at Stade de Marrakesh, Afrosport reports.
Clear-cut opportunities were scarce in Marrakesh, with Mohamed Salah, who is still pursuing his first AFCON title with the Pharaohs, being mostly uninvolved until he found the net in the 124th minute.
After a scoreless first half, Egypt’s midfielder Marwan Attia opened the scoring with a superb shot from the edge of the penalty area that found the top corner with just over 20 minutes remaining in regular time.
As Benin struggled to generate chances, it seemed that a single goal would suffice, until Junior Olaitan’s cross took a significant deflection that goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy could only manage to claw off the line, allowing Jodel Dossou to capitalise on the loose ball with seven minutes left.
With both teams neutralising each other during extra time, it was expected that a penalty shootout would determine the outcome, as Yasser Ibrahim’s stretching effort from near the spot looped over the despairing Cheetahs goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou.
Salah then added a finishing touch in the final minute, sprinting clear and using the outside of his left foot to curl the ball beautifully past Dandjinou from well outside the box.
Quarter-finals | Spot 5. 🇪🇬
Egypt advance to the next round of the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/skWxb4cvH9
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 5, 2026
This defeat means Benin will not be able to replicate their 2019 journey to the last eight, while Egypt’s reward is a match against either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso, who will face off on Tuesday, with Egypt returning to Agadir on Saturday.
