Mohamed Salah Stars as Egypt and Nigeria Advance to Africa Cup of Nations Quarter-Finals

Udaipur, Jan 6, 2026: Egypt reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after beating Benin in extra time with a brilliant goal from Mohamed Salah. The seven-time champions won the round of 16 match in Agadir last night, defeating Benin 3-1. In another last-16 match, Nigeria also secured a place in the quarter-finals with a 4-0 win over Mozambique, thanks to a brace from Victor Osimhen.

Benin played positively against Egypt from the start, despite being weaker on paper. They were able to hold off the most successful team in the competition until the 68th minute. However, Marwan Attia gave Egypt the lead in the 69th minute with a superb shot from outside the box that went into the net.

Benin, ranked 57 places below Egypt, did not give up and continued to fight. They scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute when Jodel Dossu’s shot, blocked by Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and deflecting close to the post, went into the net. This goal sent the match into extra time.

Egypt Secures Quarter-Final Spot with Salah Heroics

Egypt took the lead again in the seventh minute of extra time through Yasser Ibrahim’s header. Benin could not recover after that. On the contrary, Mohamed Salah stole the spotlight with a brilliant goal in the 124th minute. The Liverpool star received the ball on a counter-attack, quickly moved forward, and struck it with the outside of his left foot from far outside the box, beating Benin goalkeeper Marcel Danjino and sending the ball into the net. This was Salah’s third goal in the tournament.

Although Egypt is the most successful team in Africa, their last Africa Cup of Nations title came in 2010. Salah has yet to win the tournament. Egypt’s opponents in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Agadir will be either the current champions Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso. After the match, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said, “I said before the game, there are no easy teams here. Benin was a tough opponent. We are a big team, I want to make my people happy.”

Nigeria Dominates Mozambique in Rainy Night Thriller

Meanwhile, Nigeria put on a brilliant performance on a rainy night in Fès. Ademola Lukman played a key role in all four of Nigeria’s goals. He assisted the first goal, scored in the 20th minute by Lukman himself from a pass by Akor Adams. Five minutes later, Victor Osimhen scored the second goal from a cross by Lukman.

After the break, Osimhen scored his second goal and Nigeria’s third from another cross by Lukman. Finally, Akor Adams scored the fourth goal, assisted by Lukman. This is Nigeria’s biggest win in the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations since their 4-0 victory over Algeria in 2010.

To move past the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup, Nigeria will play their quarter-final on Saturday in Marrakech against either Algeria or DR Congo. Man of the match Lukman said, “I am very happy. The team played well, four goals were scored. I hope we can maintain this consistency.”