RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Mohamed Salah scored the last kick in extra time to give Egypt a 3-1 victory over Benin in the African Cup of Nations round of 16 on Monday.
After Benin’s Joder Dossou pounced on a rebound to equalize in the 83rd minute, the Pharaohs, who were surprisingly held at 1-1 in normal times, fell further behind.
Egypt had the upper hand from the start, but had to wait until the 69th inning before Marwan Attia finally broke through.
Seven minutes into extra time, Yasser Ibrahim connected with a cross with a looping header and slotted the ball into the top left corner, with Attia involved again.
Salah had the final say on the counter-attack, firing a shot from outside the penalty area past Benin goalkeeper Marcel d’Angenou, which was missed by Zizo. This was his third goal of the tournament.
Egypt, who have played all their matches in Agadir, will remain in the coastal city to face either Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals on Saturday or defending champions Ivory Coast, who they play on Tuesday.
Benin’s lone 1-0 win over Botswana in the group stage was enough to advance to the last 16.
On Monday, Omar Marmouche tried to break through early on, but Benin goalkeeper Marcel d’Anzineux appeared and stopped him before he could go any further. Danzhinou must have known it was going to be a busy match.
As the Pharaohs continued to advance, Johann Roche cleared the line. However, Benin scored it and thwarted other clear chances. Marmouche and Salah both had their efforts thwarted.
Egypt suffered a blow before half-time when left-back Mohamed Hamdi was carried off on a stretcher with a serious injury to his left knee after his foot was touched by Dokou Dodo’s head. Dodeau was cleared to continue, but Hamdi covered his eyes as he was carried away with congratulations from his teammates.
The breakthrough came when Mohamed Hany pulled the ball back at the back of the penalty area and Attia curled it inside the top left corner with the side of his boot.
However, goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy simply scratched Junior Olaytan’s deflected shot towards goal, allowing Dossault to send the match into extra time.
The Pharaohs will have one more day of rest before taking on their next opponent for a record-extending eighth title.
Nigeria played Mozambique in Fez late on Monday. The Super Eagles entered the stadium singing and dancing. The winner of the last 16 will face either Algeria or Congo in the quarter-finals in Rabat on Tuesday.
Mali and Senegal will play the first quarter-final leg on Friday, followed by hosts Morocco taking on Cameroon.
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Associated Press on Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
