Egypt reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals with a 3-1 extra-time victory against Benin, and Hossam Hassan stressed that Egypt are prepared for any rival. The result kept Egypt’s pursuit of AFCON glory on track, while also underlining Mohamed Salah’s influence and raising fresh concerns over injuries within the squad.
The match saw Marwan Attia strike first before Jodel Dossou levelled, sending the tie into extra time. Yasser Ibrahim restored Egypt’s lead, then Salah converted to seal progress. That goal took Salah to 10 AFCON goals, placing Salah third among Egyptian scorers at the tournament’s history.
Egypt will meet either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in the last eight, yet preparation is affected by Mohamed Hamdy’s serious knee
injury. Medical tests confirmed an anterior cruciate ligament problem. Hassan mixed pride with concern afterwards, saying: "I dedicate this victory to the Egyptian people, Hassan said. At the same time , I'm deeply saddened by Mohamed Hamdys ACL injury. He is very important player for us. "
Hassan described this edition as one of the hardest AFCON tournaments in recent memory, pointing to Benin’s performance as proof. Hassan praised Benin as organised and competitive, and stressed that opponents across Africa now pose genuine threats, regardless of reputation or ranking, when knockout qualification is on the line.
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Hassan underlined that Egypt respect every opponent yet maintain one objective, which is claiming the title. Hassan argued there are no straightforward matches in African football now. According to Hassan, history offers no guarantees, and results depend only on current displays and discipline on the pitch across ninety minutes or longer.
The coach highlighted the determination within the squad, noting the work rate shown across the tournament. Hassan thanked the players for their commitment in each game so far, and pointed to their reaction in extra time against Benin as evidence that Egypt remain mentally strong under pressure during this AFCON campaign.
Salah also achieved his most productive AFCON tournament so far, scoring three goals at this edition. Previously Salah scored two goals at each of the 2017, 2019 and 2021 competitions. Among Egyptian scorers in AFCON history, only Hassan El-Shazly and Hassan sit above Salah’s current tally of ten tournament goals.
| Player | AFCON goals |
|---|---|
| Hassan El-Shazly | 12 |
| Hassan | 11 |
| Mohamed Salah | 10 |
Egypt now move towards the quarter-final with confidence in attack and concern in defence after Hamdy’s injury. Salah’s form, Ibrahim’s impact and Hassan’s clear message about performance standards shape Egypt’s outlook, as the team attempt to match historical success with results on the pitch at this AFCON.
