Softfootball understands that Egypt booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after seeing off a stubborn Benin side 3-1 after extra time, a result that also stretched the Pharaohs’ unbeaten head-to-head run against the Cheetahs to five matches.
Given how both teams crawled through the group stage, expectations were already low coming into this tie, and the opening 45 minutes did little to change that feeling.
Egypt, who recently played a goalless draw with Angola following a 1-0 victory against South Africa, did look the more organised side early on.
Inside eight minutes, Omar Marmoush found himself clean through on goal after a neat pass split the Benin defence, but instead of pulling the trigger, he hesitated, allowing goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou to rush out and snuff out the danger. It was a moment that summed up the half: promise, but no end product.
Benin were clearly set up to survive rather than attack, and their offensive output before the break was almost non-existent. Their only real highlight came from a speculative Junior Olaitan free kick that was comfortably gathered by Mohamed El Shenawy.
Egypt threatened again just before the interval when Marmoush poked a loose ball goalwards from close range, yet the effort lacked power and was blocked before it could cause serious trouble.
After the restart, Benin showed a bit more courage. Shortly after the hour mark, substitute Jodel Dossou was played through on goal, but El Shenawy reacted quickly, charging off his line to deny the winger from point-blank range.
It felt like a warning sign, but Egypt soon responded. In the 69th minute, a pull-back from the byline found Marwan Attia on the edge of the box, and he unleashed a thunderous first-time strike into the top-left corner. The goal sparked wild celebrations and looked decisive at the time.
Still, Benin refused to disappear quietly. With seven minutes left in normal time, Dossou was alert to pounce on a rebound from just a few yards out, forcing the ball home and dragging the match into extra time. For a moment, Egypt looked shaken, maybe even worried.
CAF shared a video via their official X account of Benin celebrating their goal.
Watch the video below:
That anxiety eased seven minutes into extra time when Attia turned provider, floating a cross into the box for Yasser Ibrahim, whose looping header sailed over Dandjinou and into the net. From there, Benin’s resistance faded. Deep into added time, Mohamed Salah finished off a counterattack to seal the win and settle any remaining nerves.
Egypt now moves on to face either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso, knowing they are just three wins away from lifting the AFCON trophy for the first time since 2010. Not flawless, not always convincing, but they are still standing, and sometimes that’s all that matters.
