Egypt’s Mohamed Salah scored twice in a 5-0 rout of Malawi in Cairo on Friday to become his country’s all-time leading scorer with 70 goals, overtaking Hossam Hassan. The 34-year-old former Liverpool forward struck in the 84th minute with a far-post header and added a penalty five minutes into stoppage time, capping Ali Maher’s first match as Egypt coach after Hassan was dismissed last week. Nasser Maher, Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Hany had already made it 3-0 by halftime as Egypt strengthened their Group B position.
Key Takeaways: Salah reached 70 international goals, passing Hossam Hassan’s Egyptian record. Egypt won 5-0, with first-half goals from Nasser Maher, Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Hany before Salah’s late double. Egypt now have seven points from three Group B matches, three more than Angola, who host South Sudan on Saturday.
The record adds another milestone to Salah’s career after his long spell at Liverpool and arrived during a coaching transition for Egypt. Hassan was removed last week, and Maher’s first selection delivered an immediate response: Egypt controlled the first half, built a three-goal cushion and allowed Salah to settle the record late on. The result matters because Egypt are seeking qualification for the 2027 AFCON, set to be staged in East Africa. Group B remains competitive, but Egypt’s seven points give them early control ahead of Angola’s fixture against South Sudan.
Elsewhere, Achraf Hakimi scored twice as Morocco crushed Niger 5-1 in Casablanca. Hakimi, favourite to win a second successive African Footballer of the Year award next month, underlined his form as Morocco maintained their Group A lead. Nigeria recovered from a difficult campaign by beating Tanzania 3-1 in Uyo. Alhassan Yusuf gave Nigeria a third-minute lead, Alphonce Msanga equalised on 32 minutes, and substitute Tolu Arokodaro struck twice after the break.
Arokodaro, who has scored six goals in five matches for Ajax Amsterdam, came off the bench at halftime and scored twice in eight minutes, first with a near-post back heel in the 52nd and then from close range around the hour. The win lifted Nigeria to six points in Group L, one behind Guinea-Bissau, who drew 1-1 with Madagascar. Tanzania remain bottom with one point but are guaranteed a 2027 place as cohosts with Kenya and Uganda. Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Madagascar must fight for one qualification spot in the 24-nation event, the first in East Africa since Ethiopia hosted in 1976.
Tunisia suffered a major setback after losing 2-0 at home to Libya, leaving them bottom of Group H with two points and their run of qualifying for every AFCON since 1994 in danger. Ali Youssef converted a 44th-minute penalty, and Hamdou Elhouni doubled the lead in the 62nd. Libya moved level with Uganda on four points, while Botswana and Tunisia have two each. In Group D, South Africa and Kenya, coached by Pitso Mosimane and Benni McCarthy, drew 2-2 after Ryan Ogam equalised in the final minute. South Africa remain top with seven points, though the draw was two points lost.
Source: www.aljazeera.com