Egypt scraped into the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals with an extra-time 3-1 victory over underdogs Benin.
Mohamed Salah’s Pharaohs were heavy favourites, having qualified from the group stage with a game to spare, but the Cheetahs went toe to toe with the seven-time champions over more than 120 minutes in Agadir.
Marwan Attia broke the deadlock in the 69th minute with a stunning strike from range after latching on to a Mohamed Hany cutback.
But the Cheetahs refused to let their heads drop after going behind. Egypt keeper Mohamed El Shenawy palmed away a superb Junior Olaitan cross which looked destined for the top corner, but was powerless to stop substitute Jodel Dossou tapping in the rebound for an 83rd-minute equaliser.
But a well-worked corner routine in the first half of extra half broke Benin’s hearts, as Yasser Ibrahim blasted home a fine header, and as Benin wilted in the closing stages Mohamed Salah fired in Egypt’s third with almost the last kick of the game.
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Africa Cup of Nations: Egypt v Benin
- Egypt take on Benin in the round of 16 at Afcon 2025, with kick-off at 4pm | Live on 4Seven
- '120+4 GOAL! Salah fires home Egypt's third with final kick of the game [EGY 3-1 BEN]
- '97 GOAL! Ibrahim restores Egypt's lead in first half of extra time [EGY 2-1 BEN]
- '83 GOAL! Substitute Dossou equalises for Cheetahs [EGY 1-1 BEN]
- '69 GOAL! Attia stunner finally breaks deadlock [EGY 1-0 BEN]
- '8 CHANCE! Marmoush squanders golden opportunity to put Pharaohs ahead [EGY 0-0 BEN]
Salah on the scoresheet
18:50 , Flo CliffordThat’s Salah’s 10th Afcon goal and third of this edition.
Egypt beat Benin 3-1
18:48 , Flo CliffordWeren’t they made to work hard for it, though.
Gutting for Benin, who acquitted themselves very well and will have been dreaming of an upset - but they wilted in extra time and could do nothing about that lethal Salah counter-attack.
FULL-TIME: Egypt 3-1 Benin
18:44 , Flo CliffordEgypt are through to the quarter-finals!
GOAL! Egypt 3-1 Benin
18:43 , Flo Clifford‘120+3: Rabia stays down but play continues... Egypt counter, it’s Salah one-on-one with the keeper, Dandjinou comes off his line but Salah fires into the back of the net!
It’s literally the last kick of the game.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:42 , Flo Clifford‘120+2: Rabia makes a fine challenge at the byline and adds in some theatrics with a touch of cramp.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:41 , Flo Clifford‘120+2: Egypt build down the right flank again but Salah and Ashour fluff their lines in an attempted one-two.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:39 , Flo Clifford‘120: Salah attempts another cross in... it’s headed away. He comes again though; he certainly looks full of beans still.
Egypt have players forward now, Salah lays it off for Ashour, but he blasts over the bar!
Three final minutes added on.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:38 , Flo Clifford‘119: Egypt waste some more time with a change: Marmoush comes off for Mohamed.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:38 , Flo Clifford‘118: A foul on Salah brings an end to a Benin attack... and now Ahlinvi goes into the book for quite literally ripping Salah’s shirt into piece with a shirt-pull lasting about 20 yards. Desperate times.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:35 , Flo Clifford‘116: Benin’s bench look distraught. Time is running out.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:33 , Flo Clifford‘114: Ashour gives the ball away cheaply as Egypt try to calm the nerves. Benin break, Dossou is waiting in the penalty box... Benin try to play a one-two but El Shenawy clears!
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:31 , Flo Clifford‘112: The free-kick looks to come off Marmoush and goes behind - but it’s given as a goal kick! That feels a huge missed opportunity.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:30 , Flo Clifford‘111: Ashour concedes a free-kick as Tessilimi draws a foul right on the edge of the box, a little to the right. It’s in a great position...
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:27 , Flo Clifford‘108: Attidjikou gets a deserved yellow for taking out Zizo with a sliding challenge. He remonstrates with the ref, but nothing doing.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:26 , Flo Clifford‘106: Benin have made two changes: Ahoudo and Ahlinvi are on for Hassane and Roche.
EXTRA TIME, SECOND HALF: Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:24 , Flo CliffordHere we go again!
EXTRA TIME HALF-TIME: Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:22 , Flo CliffordA brief moment of respite as the whistle blows for half-time. Still at least 15 minutes to go. These players are knackered: Yasser lays down on the turf for a breather.
Egypt have 15 minutes to cling onto the lead he gave them.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:20 , Flo Clifford‘105: One minute added on to this half of extra time. Egypt get back to defend.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:18 , Flo Clifford‘103: Benin have a long throw near the corner flag... it goes very long, into the box, before being sent out. Olaitan has another... Hany thumps it clear.
Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:17 , Flo Clifford‘102: That was a well-worked corner by Egypt, but Dandjinou may feel a little disappointed he let that one in, fabulous a header as it was.
GOAL! Egypt 2-1 Benin
18:13 , Flo Clifford‘98: Marmoush has an attempt blocked behind... Fotouh plays a short corner for Egypt, Attia curls in a brilliant assist and Yasser Ibrahim nudges a pinpoint-perfect header past the outstretched fingertips of Dandjinou!
Egypt 1-1 Benin
18:07 , Flo Clifford‘93: Dossou bumps into the back of Hany and the Egyptian shoves him in response. Bit of unnecessary argy-bargy.
EXTRA TIME: Egypt 1-1 Benin
18:06 , Flo CliffordHere we go... if no one scores here, we go to spot-kicks.
Reminder, Benin beat Morocco on penalties in the last 16 in 2019.
FULL-TIME: Egypt 1-1 Benin
17:59 , Flo Clifford‘90+7: To extra time we go...
Egypt 1-1 Benin
17:57 , Flo Clifford‘90+5: Extra time is looming.
Egypt 1-1 Benin
17:53 , Flo Clifford‘90: That was an easy save for Dandjinou, Salah just not getting the angle on it.
Time for another substitute and it’s sadly another one due to injury, with Aloko taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Amoussou.
SEVEN minutes for one side to find a winner!
SAVE! Egypt 1-1 Benin
17:50 , Flo Clifford‘88: Desperate times for both sides, searching for a winner. Two minutes (at least) before extra time...
And Dandjinou denies Salah again!
GOAL! Egypt 1-1 Benin
17:45 , Flo Clifford‘83: Benin have an equaliser!!
You can’t say they’ve not been working hard for it! El Shenawy’s poor goal kick is collected by Benin, and Olaitan curls a stunning cross which El Shenawy just about palms away from the goalline - but Dossou is there to tap in the rebound!
Egypt 1-0 Benin
17:43 , Flo Clifford‘81: Another succession of corners as Imourane is hacked down in the box... it bounces around but Fotouh is there with a clearance at the far post!
The resulting corner is dealt with slightly more easily.
Egypt 1-0 Benin
17:41 , Flo Clifford‘79: Oh dear, basics, basics... Fathy loses the ball cheaply and slides in late on an onrushing Benin player, and goes into the book for that. Risky play there.
Benin are absolutely resolute: they’ve won a series of corners and are pushing for an equaliser.
Egypt 1-0 Benin
17:38 , Flo Clifford‘77: Substitutes now: Dokou is replaced by Tessilimi, and D’Almeida by Attidjikou.
Egypt 1-0 Benin
17:35 , Flo Clifford‘73: Dandjinou has been brilliant so far and it took something special from Attia to beat him. And in fact that was Hany’s pullback rather than Salah, with the Liverpool man combining with Hany in the build-up.
Dandjinou is called into action again but makes a more routine save... and Benin counter, but El Shenawy gets down to save in time.
Benin are battling on.
GOAL! Egypt 1-0 Benin
17:32 , Flo Clifford‘70: The deadlock is broken!! It’s Egypt, and Salah, perhaps as expected... Salah fires a beautiful cutback towards Attia, who blasts away from range, past Dandjinou’s outstretched fingertips into the top corner. Majestic.
He leaps into the arms of his teammates to celebrate.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:30 , Flo Clifford‘68: Brilliant tackle by D’Almeida, who leaps across the pitch and throws himself in the way of Ashour, dancing dangerously close to the box.
The resulting corner is thumped clear.
SAVE! Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:27 , Flo Clifford‘65: Now Benin with a delightful through ball into the box... Dossou races onto it but his attempt is blocked by El Shenawy, who closes down and throws his entire body in the way!
The 37-year-old El Shenawy has a bit of a sit down and gets some attention, it looks like a rather painful hit to the groin in the process of saving that.
SAVE! Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:24 , Flo Clifford‘63: Egypt frustrated again! A lovely long ball finds Salah down the right flank; he pokes his toe at it attempting to lob Dandjinou, but the keeper gets to it!
Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:22 , Flo Clifford‘59: Not totally sure how this has happened, but Trezeguet is the latest casualty of this game, hobbling off with one of his shoes and shinpads off.
Subs: Ashour and Zizo come on, for Trezeguet and Adel.
SAVE! Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:17 , Flo Clifford‘56: Egypt have another chance as a cross flies behind for a corner... Salah whips it in, Rabia is there at point-blank range but Dandjinou punches away, it’s an absolutely superb block! The Egypt boss slams his fists on the turf in frustration.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:14 , Flo Clifford‘53: Egypt come again, but Marmoush and Salah can’t quite link up in time. The Pharaohs are pressing...
Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:10 , Flo Clifford‘49: Egypt, playing with a slightly strange back five, will be disappointed with that first half. Can they make their squad superiority count?
Benin lose possession with a poorly placed cross from the left of the penalty area and Egypt counter, but Marmoush blasts his cross-cum-attempt over the bar.
SECOND HALF: Egypt 0-0 Benin
17:06 , Flo CliffordBack underway!
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:53 , Flo CliffordA first half more notable for injuries and questionable challenges than for the actual quality of football. Tosin and Hamdi both went off injured, and while there was a fair amount of attacking intent from both sides it’s been low on quality in the final third.
Marmoush’s early one-on-one with the keeper has been the best chance, and that was woefully squandered.
HALF-TIME: Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:51 , Flo Clifford‘45+5: Hany lofts in a ball for Egypt, it falls to Salah - he gets the better of two defenders with a nice little spin, but Roche cuts it out just on the edge of the area.
Half-time!
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:50 , Flo Clifford‘45+5: Long ball through for Benin and Egypt are in a spot of bother, Fathy racing back to clear just before his keeper.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:46 , Flo Clifford‘46: Benin manager Gernit Rohr has made the VAR symbol with his hands to ask the referee to have another look at that challenge.
In fact, Aloko looks to be okay, but Hamdy must have pulled something in that process as the stretcher has been called. He went down clutching the back of his knee and is taken off the pitch on the stretcher, hand over his face. Very unfortunate.
Fotouh is on his in place. There will be five minutes of added time.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:42 , Flo Clifford‘41: Bad challenge from Hamdi, who kicks Aloko square in the face from behind as both go for the ball. The referee completely fails to see both players down on the pitch until Dodo sends the ball out to stop play, and medical staff are called on. Not sure why Hamdi hit the deck after just booting a man in the face...
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:40 , Flo Clifford‘40: Benin concede a free-kick after yet another robust challenge... this has been a very physical game.
Salah and Marmoush both stand over it... Salah takes it but it’s headed away.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:37 , Flo Clifford‘37: End-to-end stuff: Benin pinball the ball around Egypt’s area before Salah launches a counter, threading it up the pitch for Marmoush, but Tijani gets the crucial tackle in outside the box. Egypt aren’t happy with the lack of penalty, but it was well outside.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:36 , Flo Clifford‘35: Egypt are really pressing now. Salah launches a sweetly weighted effort goalward but a defender high-kicks it out, before another attempt lands squarely in Dandjinou’s gloves.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:32 , Flo Clifford‘32: Now Fathy whacks his foot into the back of Tosin’s knee, and poor old Tosin is forced to come off. He’s replaced by Dossou.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:30 , Flo Clifford‘29: Egypt have been woeful from a disciplinary standpoint. Attia goes for a needless shirt-pull on D’Almeida and there’s a break in play as the Benin man gets some attention after hitting the deck hard.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:27 , Flo Clifford‘27: The camera pans to the Benin bench, who are huddled around a teammate to protect his modesty as he changes his shorts.
Olaitan gets a yellow for appearing to clash elbows with Yasser in an aerial duel.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:24 , Flo Clifford‘24: Aloko cuts it back at the back line but has no teammates forward and El Shenawy gathers - not without a bit of fumbling, though. Benin are holding their own against the odds here.
CLOSE! Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:21 , Flo Clifford‘21: A great ball down the right wing sets off a Benin counter Aloko catches Fathy later and concedes the foul... now Egypt break straight away, Dandjinou goes down to save but misjudges it completely, the ball fizzing past his outstretched leg towards the open goal - but a defender hooks it clear!
Egypt come again, Dandjinou launching into the air to punch clear, and eventually Benin clear their lines.
SAVE! Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:18 , Flo Clifford‘17: Nothing comes of that free-kick, but moments later Fathy shoves Tosin away to concede another one, this one in a good position on the left hand side of goal.
Olaitan’s delivery is actually decent but there’s not quite enough bend on it to beat El Shenawy! Benin are acquitting themselves well here.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:13 , Flo Clifford‘13: Egypt want a penalty as Dandjinou saves from Hamdi, the Egyptian flipping over in the box in the process. No dice.
Now Rabia takes an elbow to the back of the head while grappling over the ball and waits expectantly to be rewarded for it. Also not forthcoming.
Now he gets a yellow for a deliberate handball to send the ball out of play. Not clever.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:09 , Flo Clifford‘8: Things have suddenly got a bit more lively! Benin hit the post before Egypt counter seamlessly, Salah threading a long ball through to Marmoush, but Dandjinou gets down low to block him one-on-one.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:07 , Flo Clifford‘7: Mohamed Salah shows his class, nabbing the ball from a tangle of legs as he sits his defender down.
El Shenawy is called into action for the first time as Tosin tries again, but it’s an easy save, before a through-ball aimed at Marmoush lands helpfully for Dandjinou.
Egypt 0-0 Benin
16:03 , Flo Clifford‘3: Benin haven’t parked the bus yet and in fact the green-and-gold-clad underdogs fancy a bit of the ball. Hamdy clatters his man in the first coming-together of the game.
And Egypt give the ball away cheaply, with Tosin embarking on a rather ambitious attempt from range... it bobbles harmlessly miles out from goal.
KICK OFF: Egypt vs Benin
16:01 , Flo CliffordHere we go!
Egypt vs Benin
15:59 , Flo CliffordThe players are out on the pitch; captain Mo Salah gives his opposite number Verdon a big smile.
The sun is out in Agadir but the crowd is sparse, as it has been for much of the tournament so far, sadly.
Team news reminder
15:58 , Flo CliffordEgypt XI: M. El-Shennawy, Hany, Rabia, Fathy, Attia, Trezeguet, Adel, Salah, Marmoush
Benin XI: Dandjinou, Verdon, Tijani, Ouorou, Roche, Dokou, Hassane, d'Almeida, Olaitan, Aloko, Aiyegun
Routes to the knockouts
15:50 , Flo CliffordEgypt beat Zimbabwe 2-1 after going a goal behind, before edging a 1-0 win over South Africa despite going a man down for the whole second half.
Having already qualified, a much-changed Egypt side then saw out a 0-0 draw with Angola.
Benin meanwhile lost 1-0 to DR Congo but sealed their first-ever Afcon win in normal time with a 1-0 victory over the tournament’s lowest-ranked side, Botswana.
A 0-3 defeat to Senegal followed but they made it into the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed sides.
Afcon last 16 results so far
15:40 , Flo CliffordIf you missed Sunday’s knockout-stage drama...
Cameroon set up a blockbuster Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against hosts Morocco after edging out South Africa 2-1 on Sunday.
Driven by heartache from failing to qualify for the World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the five-time winners proved too strong for Bafana Bafana at the Stade El Barida.
Goals from Junior Tchamadeu and teenage striker Christian Kofane ensured a significant victory The Indomitable Lions although they had to fight off a late comeback as South Africa pulled one back through substitute Evidence Makgopa with two minutes to play.
Cameroon set up blockbuster Afcon quarter-final with hosts Morocco
Africa Cup of Nations moved to every four years
15:30 , Flo CliffordThe Africa Cup of Nations will be held every four years instead of two from 2028, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced.
The tournament has traditionally been held biennially since its inception in 1957. The surprise announcement was made on the eve of the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Morocco on Sunday.
It follows a meeting of the CAF executive committee in Rabat, with president Patrice Motsepe announcing the major change in a press conference in Rabat.
Afcon 2025 fixture schedule
15:20 , Flo CliffordMonday, January 5, 2026
Egypt v Benin | 4:00 PM | Le Grand Stade Agadir, Agadir, Morocco
Nigeria v Mozambique | 7:00 PM | Complexe Sportif de Fès, Fès, Morocco
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Algeria v DR Congo | 4:00 PM | Stade Prince Moulay Al Hassan, Rabat, Morocco
Ivory Coast v Burkino Faso | 7:00 PM | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco
Head-to-head
15:10 , Flo CliffordBenin have a real task on their hands, having never previously beaten today’s opposition.
Egypt have won each of their last three encounters, putting 11 past Benin and conceding just once, with the Cheetahs’ best result a 3-3 draw in World Cup qualifying in 2004.
Benin line-up
15:04 , Flo CliffordBenin XI: Dandjinou, Verdon, Tijani, Ouorou, Roche, Dokou, Hassane, d'Almeida, Olaitan, Aloko, Aiyegun
📋✅ 𝙇𝙀 𝙊𝙉𝙕𝙀 𝘿𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙏 du Bénin pour affronter l'Égypte ! 🇧🇯⚔️🇪🇬#EGYBEN | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/BEpMOAWub5
— Bénin Football 🇧🇯🐆 (@FootballBenin) January 5, 2026
Egypt line-up
15:03 , Flo CliffordEgypt XI: M. El-Shennawy, Hany, Rabia, Fathy, Attia, Trezeguet, Adel, Salah, Marmoush
Subs: A. El-Shennawy, Shobeir, Eid, Abdelmaguid, Ismail, Sabhy, Fattouh, Ashour, Saber, Shehata, Sayed Zizo, Fathy, Faisal, Mohsen, Mohamed
#ThePharaohs’ starting XI to face Benin in the Round of 16 💪🇪🇬#egyptnt pic.twitter.com/gEuLU5pGfe
— Egypt National Team (@EgyptNT_EN) January 5, 2026
Team news incoming
14:45 , Flo CliffordWe’re expecting team news in the next few minutes...
Early team news - Benin
14:40 , Flo CliffordBenin boss Gernot Rohr only made one change for the Cheetahs’ last game, a 3-0 defeat by Senegal, with Sessi D’Almeida reportedly dealing with a muscular issue and left out as a precaution, and Samadou Attidjikou taking his place.
D’Almeida is still a doubt for today’s game while Abdoul Rachid Moumini is suspended after picking up too many yellow cards.
Early team news - Egypt
14:29 , Flo CliffordEgypt boss Hossam Hassan rotated his squad heavily to face Angola having already qualified, so the likes of Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Trezeguet - all unusued substitutes for that game - will be well-rested and back in the line-up.
Mohamed Hany was sent off for two yellow cards against South Africa but has served his suspension and should come back into the starting XI.
Last-16 results so far
14:19 , Flo CliffordThe knockout stage got underway on Saturday 3 January. Here are the results so far:
Senegal 3-1 Sudan
Mali 1-1 Tunisia (Mali win 3-2 on penalties)
Morocco 1-0 Tanzania
South Africa 1-2 Cameroon
How can I watch it?
14:11 , Flo CliffordAll the games at the Africa Cup of Nations this year are being shown live on Channel 4 for free in the UK.
Egypt v Benin will be available live on 4seven, with coverage from 3.55pm GMT.
When is Egypt v Benin?
14:05 , Flo CliffordEgypt face Benin at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir, Morocco at 4pm GMT on Monday 5 January.
Good afternoon
14:00 , Flo CliffordHello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Egypt v Benin.
The sides clash for a place in the Afcon quarter-finals, and while on paper it’s a case of seven-time champions vs underdogs, you can never rule out an upset...
Follow all the build-up and action here.
