Egypt are into the quarter-finals of the the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) after two goals in extra time, including one from Mohamed Salah, saw the Pharaohs edge a tight last-16 tie against Benin.
Clearcut chances were at a premium in Marrakesh, with Salah, who remains in the hunt for a first Afcon title with his country, largely a peripheral figure until his strike in the 124th minute.
After a goalless first half, Egypt midfielder Marwan Attia broke the deadlock with a fine hit from the edge of the penalty area which found the top corner with just over 20 minutes of normal time to play.
With Benin struggling to create, it looked like one goal would be enough, until Junior Olaitan’s cross took a big deflection which goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy could only claw off his line and Jodel Dossou gobbled up the loose ball with seven minutes to go.
With both sides cancelling each other out in extra time, it was no surprise to see a set piece prove the difference, with Yasser Ibrahim’s sinew-stretching effort from near the penalty spot looping past despairing Cheetahs goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou.
Salah then added the gloss in the final minute, racing clear and using the outside of his left boot to curl exquisitely past Dandjinou from well outside the box.
The defeat means Benin will not replicate their 2019 run to the last eight, while Egypt’s reward is a tie against either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso, who meet on Tuesday, back in Agadir on Saturday (19:00 GMT).
Heading into this tournament, many eyes were on Salah, given his unhappy start to the season at Liverpool and the fact that the Afcon trophy is one which has so far eluded him in his gilded career.
The 33-year-old made his international debut in 2011, a year after the last of the Pharaohs’ record seven continental titles, and he has found himself on the losing side in two finals.
Having been dropped by Reds boss Arne Slot, and accusing his club of having thrown him “under the bus”, some wondered if a winter break with his country might be just the thing to revive his fortunes.
His strike in this match means he now has three goals in Morocco, already his best haul at an Afcon.
However, top-class finishing aside, he is yet to really hit the heights in his three games so far, and coach Hossam Hassan will hope he exerts more influence going forward, even if it means Salah could overtake his mark as Egypt’s record goalscorer.
It was Hassan’s other Premier League forward Omar Marmoush who had the game’s first chance, failing to make the most of a one-on-one which Dandjinou smothered.
Full-back Yohan Roche then cleared another Marmoush effort off the line before both teams were forced into changes, with Benin striker Aiyegun Tosin and Egypt’s Mohamed Hamdy injured, with Hamdy stretchered off after hurting himself by kicking Rodolfo Aloko on the head.
Ten minutes after the break, Ramy Rabia was amazed to see his scrambled effort from a corner kept out by a combination of Dandjinou and Tamimou Ouorou, who was positioned on the post.
The North Africans then also lost Trezeguet to injury before Attia’s curler in the 69th minute, set up by good approach play down the right flank which saw Mohamed Hany pick out his team-mate with a well-directed pull back.
Attia did well to keep a bobbling strike down, with Dandjinou getting fingertips to the ball but unable to keep it out.
Dossou’s equaliser initially came about after a poor clearance from El Shenawy played his team into trouble, and Benin must have been dreaming of replicating their last-16 victory over Morocco at the 2019 Afcon in Egypt, which came via penalties without the Cheetahs having won a game in normal time at that tournament.
While Gernot Rohr’s stubborn team finally claimed their maiden Afcon win inside 90 minutes when beating Botswana in the group stage in Morocco, they never looked confident of being able to snatch victory in Agadir.
Al Ahly defender Ibrahim’s goal which made it 2-1 came from a short corner routine seven minutes into extra time, before Salah wrapped things up for what was his 10th Afcon goal in total.
The Egyptian King’s dream of lifting the trophy in Rabat on 18 January remains alive.
