Egypt reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after a hard-fought 3-1 win over Benin after extra time. This result means Egypt have now gone five games without losing to Benin.
The match was slow in the first half, with few chances. Egypt started slightly better and almost scored early on when Omar Marmoush was through on goal, but the Benin goalkeeper stopped him. Benin focused mainly on defending and offered very little going forward. Their only real effort was a long free-kick, which was easily saved by Egypt’s keeper, Mohamed El Shenawy.
In the second half, Benin came close to scoring when Jodel Dossou broke through, but El Shenawy made a good save. Egypt then took the lead in the 69th minute when Marwan Attia hit a powerful shot into the top corner.
Benin did not give up and equalised late in the game. Dossou scored from close range after a rebound, sending the match into extra time.
During extra time, Egypt took control again. Yasser Ibrahim scored with a header to make it 2-1. In the final moments, Mohamed Salah sealed the win with a calm finish on the counter-attack.
Egypt will now face either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals. They are three wins away from lifting the trophy for the first time since 2010.
