Africa Cup of Nations – Atea scores and assists, Salah adds another goal, Egypt defeats Benin 3-1 in extra time to advance to the quarterfinals.

In the Round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt and Benin faced off in a fierce battle at the Adral Stadium. Thanks to a crucial extra-time goal by Mohamed Salah, Egypt ultimately defeated Benin 3-1, eliminating them from the tournament.

Nine minutes into the game, Salah created a one-on-one opportunity for Omar Malmush with a long pass, but Benin goalkeeper Marcel Danginou rushed out to make the save. The two sides then remained deadlocked for a long time, with neither able to change the score by the halftime whistle.

In the 55th minute of the second half, Salah's corner kick from the right caused chaos in the penalty area, and Rami Rabia's close-range follow-up shot forced Tamim Oru to clear the ball off the line. In the 63rd minute, Chizo sent a long pass from midfield, and Salah's powerful chip shot from the right side of the penalty area was saved by Danjinu. One minute later, Rabia's clearance of a cross in the penalty area failed, and Jodel Dosu's follow-up shot was blocked by Mohamed Shinavi's outstretched leg.

In the 69th minute, Egypt finally broke the deadlock: Mohamed Hani crossed from the right wing, and Marwan Atya curled a shot into the top corner from the edge of the box. However, their lead lasted less than 15 minutes: in the 83rd minute, Junior Oletan's cross from the right was deflected by Ahmed Fotouh, and Shinawatra made a diving save but remained inside the box. Dosu immediately followed up and scored, sending the game into extra time.

Around seven minutes into extra time, Egypt regained the lead: Atya delivered a cross from the left flank at a 45-degree angle, and Yasser Ibrahim headed the ball into the net. In the 124th minute, Zizo passed the ball to the center during a quick counter-attack, and Salah unleashed a long-range shot from outside the box, piercing the opponent's goal. At the final whistle, Egypt became the fifth team to advance to the quarterfinals of this year's Africa Cup of Nations.