Egypt booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, but not without a scare, as Benin proved far more resilient than many had expected in a tense last-16 encounter.

The Pharaohs dominated possession, yet the opening half told a different story from the pre-match narrative. Benin stayed compact, disciplined and refused to crumble under pressure, matching their illustrious opponents stride for stride and frustrating Egypt’s attacking stars.

The game failed to open up immediately after the break. Even when Egypt finally broke the deadlock, Benin showed remarkable character, responding with an equaliser that dragged the contest into extra time.

However, the additional 30 minutes ultimately exposed the physical limits of the underdogs. Benin began to tire, and Egypt capitalised. A decisive late goal from Mohamed Salah finally settled the tie.

2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt - Benin 3:1 (0:0)
Goals: Ateya, 69 (1:0); Dossou, 83 (1:1); Ibrahim, 97 (2:1); Salah, 120 (3:1)

Egypt: El Shenawy M.; Hany; Rabia; Ibrahim; Hamdy Sharaf (Fotouh, 45); Ateya; Hassan (Ashour, 59); Fathi H.; Salah; Adel (Zizo, 59); Marmoush (Mostafa Mohamed, 119)
Substitution: Fotouh (from 45); Ashour (from 59); Zizo (from 59); Mostafa Mohamed (from 119)
Bench: El Shenawy A.; Shobeir; Sobhi; Abdelmaguid; Eid; Ismail; Shehata; Saber; Fathi; Mohsen; Faisal
Yellow Cards: Rabia 13; Ateya 29; Fathi H. 79; Fotouh 106

Benin: Dandjinou; Ouorou; Roche Y. (Ahlinvi, 106); Verdon; Tijani M.; D'Almeida (Attidjikou, 77); Imourane (Ahoudo, 106); Dodo Doku (Tessilimi, 77); Olaitan Junior; Tosin (Dossou, 32); Aloko R. (Amoussou, 90)
Substitution: Dossou (from 32); Attidjikou (from 77); Tessilimi (from 77); Amoussou (from 90); Ahlinvi (from 106); Ahoudo (from 106)
Bench: Allagbé; Obassa; Kiki D.; Azongnitode; Ahouangbo; Fassinou; Kossi R.; Rachidou; Akimey
Yellow Cards: Olaitan Junior 27; Tijani M. 101; Attidjikou 108; Ahlinvi 118