(Video) Mo Salah caps hard-fought Egypt victory with typical aplomb as Pharaohs march on at AFCON
Mo Salah was on the scoresheet for Egypt as they survived a scare to reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Monday evening.
The Pharaohs came into the round-of-16 clash against Benin as firm favourites and led 1-0 in the closing stages before a late equaliser necessitated extra time in Agadir.
Hossam Hassan’s side regained the lead during the additional 30 minutes, although it wasn’t until the Liverpool winger struck right at the end that he and his team could relax.
Salah seals hard-fought Egypt victory
Three minutes into stoppage time at the end of extra time, Egypt managed to clear from a long throw-in from their opponents and launched a rapid counterattack which saw the ball played through to Salah in the centre circle.
The Reds’ number 11 had almost Benin’s entire half of the pitch free ahead of him and he finished to the net with typical aplomb, curling a shot with the outside of his boot past onrushing opposition goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou to finally settle any remaining doubt over the result.
Can Salah carry over AFCON form to club level?
Salah now has three goals for Egypt at AFCON 2025, and he’ll get the chance to add to that tally against either Burkina Faso or holders Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals next Saturday night.
His country’s win this evening comes amid the latest bout of impassioned social media activity from his agent Ramy Abbas Issa, who cryptically posted on X: ‘Happy new year to everyone except to the slaves of machines with screens and the scum that use said machines to show off or seek attention.’
The Liverpool winger’s future has been the topic of much discussion over the past month since his explosive tirade after the 3-3 draw at Leeds, when he suggested that his relationship with Arne Slot had broken down after being dropped for several matches in succession.
Daily Mail reporter Lewis Steele has indicated that a January exit from Anfield is highly unlikely, not least with Salah’s immediate attention focused on AFCON, although the possibility of a summer departure isn’t farfetched.
It remains to be seen what’ll happen in terms of his club career over the next few months, but it’s encouraging from a Reds perspective that he’s rediscovering his scoring touch in Morocco, with three goals at the tournament just two fewer than he’s managed for LFC so far this season.
Whenever he returns to Merseyside, hopefully he’ll bring that improved goalscoring form with him and provide Liverpool with an added edge in attack, something which was sorely missing in the 0-0 draw against Leeds on New Year’s Day.
You can view Salah’s goal against Benin below, via @beINSPORTSUSA on X:
Salah seals the win for Egypt!
Deep into stoppage time, Mohamed Salah scored the third goal for the Pharaohs to put the final touch on the match against Benin. #beINSPORTS #beINAFCON2025 #CAN2025 #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 #AFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/eRFr8kxEaZ
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) January 5, 2026
The post (Video) Mo Salah caps hard-fought Egypt victory with typical aplomb as Pharaohs march on at AFCON appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.