Egypt Overcomes Benin in Extra-Time Thriller to Reach AFCON 2025 Quarter-Finals

Egypt booked their place in the AFCON 2025 quarter-finals after overcoming a stubborn Benin side in a dramatic extra-time contest, eventually claiming a 3-1 victory. The result extended Egypt’s unbeaten run against the Cheetahs to five matches and underlined their growing authority as the tournament enters its decisive phase.

Both teams progressed from the group stage without producing standout performances, and that cautious form carried into the opening exchanges. The first half was short on clear chances, though Egypt showed greater attacking purpose early on. Inside the opening ten minutes, Omar Marmoush broke through on goal, but a moment’s hesitation allowed Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou to react quickly and snuff out the danger.

Benin approached the match with a clear defensive plan, prioritizing structure and discipline over attacking risk. Their limited forward ventures meant Mohamed El Shenawy was largely untroubled in the Egyptian goal. The only real scare came from a long-distance free kick by Junior Olaitan, which El Shenawy dealt with comfortably. At the other end, Marmoush found himself with another sight of goal after a loose ball fell kindly in the box, but his rushed effort was blocked before it could test Dandjinou.

Making their first AFCON knockout appearance since 2019, Benin showed admirable resilience. Shortly after the hour mark, they nearly stunned Egypt when substitute Jodel Dossou was played clean through, only for El Shenawy to rush out and deny him with a vital save.

Egypt Show Real Quality

The deadlock was finally broken in the 69th minute through a moment of genuine quality from Egypt. A low cutback from the byline picked out Marwan Attia, who struck the ball first time with precision and power, sending it into the top-left corner and igniting celebrations among the Egyptian fans.

However, Benin refused to fold. With just minutes remaining in regulation time, Dossou reacted quickest to a rebound inside the box and forced the ball over the line, stunning Egypt and dragging the tie into extra time.

Rather than panic, Egypt responded with maturity. Seven minutes into the additional period, Attia turned provider, delivering a measured cross that Yasser Ibrahim met with a looping header that sailed beyond Dandjinou. The goal shifted momentum decisively in Egypt’s favor.

Benin’s resistance faded from there, and Mohamed Salah put the contest beyond doubt in the final moments. Latching onto a rapid counter-attack, he finished with a clever outside-of-the-boot effort to seal the win.

Now just three victories away from lifting their first AFCON title since 2010, the seven-time champions will prepare to face either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in Saturday’s quarter-final clash.