Late Salah Strike Sends Egypt Past Benin in AFCON, Extending a Historic Scoring Run

Late drama seals Egypt’s AFCON bid

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's captain, sealed Egypt’s progress in the AFCON round of 16 by scoring a late winner against Benin, lifting the Pharaohs to a 3-1 victory as the tournament heads into the knockout stage in Morocco.

Salah added his third goal of the tournament after finding the net against Zimbabwe in the group phase and then against South Africa, steadying Egypt’s climb in the competition.

The Liverpool star became the first Egyptian to score in five consecutive AFCON editions, further cementing his place in the tournament’s history and moving closer to Egypt’s all-time top scorer tally.

With his 10th AFCON goal, Salah sits third on Egypt’s all-time list, behind Hossam Hassan (11) and Hassan Shazly (12), and three goals behind the record milestone. He remains well within reach of the landmark as the journey continues.

He is three goals away from tying the national record, a mark that would elevate him to the pinnacle of Egypt’s AFCON history. If he keeps this rhythm, the trophy shelf might need reinforcement—and perhaps a throne for a king who prefers goals to crowns.

Punchline time: If Salah keeps scoring at this rate, defenders will start requesting autographs to remember the one who finally stopped them. And if not, well, at least the net got a good workout tonight.