Egypt booked their quarterfinal berth at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco after an extra-time 3-1 win over Benin Republic on Monday, SportPremi Reports.
Marwan Attia gave them the lead in the second half, but the Cheetahs grabbed a late equalizer through Jodel Dossou to send the game into extra-time.
Yasser Ibrahim then put the Pharaohs back in the lead in first half of extra-time, before Mohamed Salah struck in stoppage-time to send them into the last eight as Benin Republic suffered a heartbreaking exit.
Egypt clinch extra-time win over Benin Republic
Egypt had been unconvincing so far in Morocco, but still finished top of Group B, while Benin Republic finished third in Group D behind Senegal and DR Congo.
Omar Marmoush had the first attempt of the match, but was denied by Marcel Dandjinou, before the Manchester City forward had another effort cleared off the line.
The first half ended goalless with neither side creating much opportunities to break the deadlock in Agadir.
Dossou had a chance to open scoring in the second half, but was denied by a brilliant save from El Shenawy in the Egypt goal.
Four minutes later, the breakthrough came through Attia, who fired a stunning effort into the net after receiving a pass from Mohamed Hany.
Benin Republic were not going down without a fight and pulled level on terms through Dossou seven minutes from time.
Mohamed Salah was then denied in stoppage-time by Dandjinou as the game finished 1-1 and headed for extra-time.
Egypt took the initiative and scored early in the half through Ibrahim, whose header beat the Benin Republic goalkeeper to put his side in the lead.
Salah then struck in the final minute of the clash after a quick counterattacking move, following a brilliant assist from Zizo.
The match ended 3-1 in favour of Egypt, who progressed into the last eight of the tournament.
Players Ratings:
Egypt Players Ratings
- El Shenawy – 7.0/10
- Ibrahim – 8.8/10
- Fathi – 7.7/10
- Rabia – 8.1/10
- Hany – 8.2/10
- Trezeguet – 6.7/10
- Ateya – 9.1/10
- Adel – 6.4/10
- Hamdi – 6.2/10
- Marmoush – 7.4/10
- Salah – 8.7/10
Substitutes
- El Fotouh – 7.5/10
- Ashour – 7.4/10
- Zizo – 7.6/10
Benin Republic Players Ratings
- Dandjinou – 5.1/10
- Roche – 6.9/10
- Tijani – 6.0/10
- Verdon – 6.0/10
- Ourou – 6.0/10
- Olaitan – 6.5/10
- Imourane – 6.9/10
- D’Almeida – 6.4/10
- Aloko – 6.6/10
- Dodo – 6.5/10
- Tosin – 6.1/10
Substitutes
- Dossou – 7.0/10
- Samadou – 6.3/10
- Tessilimi – 6.2/10
- Amoussou – 6.2/10
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Egypt 55% – 45% Benin
Total Shots: Egypt 12 – 8 Benin
Shots on target: Egypt 7 – 3 Benin
Pass Accuracy: Egypt 83% – 76% Benin
Corners: Egypt 5 – 5 Benin
What next?
Egypt will now face the winner of the tie between Burkina Faso and defending champions Ivory Coast in the last eight of the competition, scheduled to hold on the 10th of January.
