Salah breaks Egypt scoring record, Tunisia lose to Libya in AFCON qualifier | Football
Salah Surpasses Hossam Hassan as Egypt’s All-Time Leading Scorer
Cairo — Mohamed Salah made history on Friday night by scoring twice in Egypt’s 5-0 victory over Malawi in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, bringing his international goal tally to 70 and surpassing the previous record held by former captain Hossam Hassan.
The 34-year-old forward, who previously played for Liverpool, secured his milestone achievement with two late goals in Cairo’s Cairo International Stadium. Salah headed in a goal from the far post in the 84th minute, followed by a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
This match marked a successful debut for Ali Maher as the new head coach of the Egyptian national team, following the recent dismissal of Hassan. The team built a solid lead with goals by Nasser Maher, Omar Marmoush, and Mohamed Hany, who each found the net, making it 3-0 by halftime.
With this victory, Egypt now sits on seven points in Group B after three matches, three points ahead of Angola, which is scheduled to play South Sudan on Saturday.
In other AFCON qualifying matches, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi scored twice in a 5-1 win against Niger, elevating their position in Group A. Meanwhile, Nigeria secured a crucial 3-1 victory over Tanzania, thanks to two goals from substitute Tolu Arokodaro.
Tunisia experienced a surprising 2-0 loss to Libya, leaving them in a challenging position with only two points from four matches, while Kenya salvaged a late 2-2 draw against South Africa.
Despite being last in their group, Tanzania is guaranteed a spot in the 2027 AFCON tournament as co-hosting nation alongside Kenya and Uganda. The competition will be held in East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976.
Nigeria, now with six points in Group L, is on track for qualification after recovering from a prior setback against Guinea-Bissau. They will aim to clinch a spot by winning their upcoming matches.
Meanwhile, Tunisia’s elimination from contention remains a possibility as they struggle to secure points in their matches against co-hosts Uganda and other group competitors.
