The achievement saw Salah surpass the long-standing record of 69 goals previously held by Hossam Hassan. Salah’s historic moment arrived late in the contest; he found the net with a far-post header in the 84th minute before adding a second from the penalty spot five minutes into stoppage time to seal the emphatic win.
A New Era for the Pharaohs
The match marked a significant turning point for the Egyptian side following the departure of former coach Hossam Hassan. Under the guidance of new manager Ali Maher, the team displayed clinical form from the outset. Nasser Maher, Omar Marmoush, and Mohamed Hany provided a commanding 3-0 lead by the interval, setting the stage for Salah’s late-game heroics. With this result, Egypt moves to seven points in Group B after three matches, maintaining a three-point cushion over Angola.
Continental Action Across Africa
Elsewhere in the qualifying campaign, Morocco continued their strong form as Achraf Hakimi netted a brace in a 5-1 thrashing of Niger in Casablanca. Meanwhile, Nigeria revitalized their Group L campaign with a 3-1 win over Tanzania in Uyo. Alhassan Yusuf opened the scoring early, but it was substitute Tolu Arokodaro who proved decisive, scoring twice in an eight-minute span during the second half to secure the points for the Super Eagles.
The landscape in Group H remains tense, as Tunisia’s hopes of maintaining their streak of AFCON appearances since 1994 face a serious threat. A 2-0 home loss to Libya, courtesy of goals from Ali Youssef and Hamdou Elhouni, leaves Tunisia at the bottom of the table with only two points. In Group D, South Africa and Kenya played out a dramatic 2-2 draw, with Ryan Ogam scoring a last-minute equalizer for the Harambee Stars to deny the hosts a victory.
