Salah seals Egypt win and takes them to AFCON quarterfinals, Nigeria thumps Mozambique with Osimhen brace

The Liverpool man is back with a goal

The Liverpool star man scored very late in extra time for Egypt’s 3-1 win at Stade d’Agadir in the round of 16 match on Monday.

Marwan Attia’s stunner in the 69th minute wasn’t enough for Egypt to secure a quarterfinal spot in normal time as Benin found the equalizer in the 83rd minute through Jodel Dossou, taking the game to extra time.

Attia was also involved in Egypt’s second goal, as they took the lead again in the seventh minute of extra time, after his cross was met by Yasser Ibrahim who headed the ball inside the top left corner.

But Egypt’s win was sealed by captain Mohamed Salah, who shot past Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou from outside the penalty box.

It was the third goal of the tournament for the Liverpool man, who was rested in the final group stage game against Angola.

The Pharaohs, who have played every game in Agadir so far, will remain in the coastal city for their quarterfinal fixture on Saturday against the title holders Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso, who meet on Tuesday.

The record seven-time AFCON champions, who are chasing their first title since 2010, will have an extra day of rest before they face their quarterfinal opponents.

Nigeria cruise into the quarterfinals thanks to Osimhen brace

Nigeria secured a place in the quarterfinals convincingly, thrashing Mozambique 4-0 in their last-16 tie, by scoring two goals in each half of the game.

This was the first appearance in a knockout phase game at AFCON for Mozambique, who advanced as one of the best third-place teams in the group stage.

Former African footballer of the year Ademola Lookman opened the scoring 20 minutes in and was involved in the other three goals scored by the Super Eagles.

Victor Osimhen netted Nigeria’s second goal only five minutes later, and he then scored his second and Nigeria’s third just after half-time before Akor Adams sealed the win with 15 minutes of normal time still to play.

Niggeria’s win was the biggest in a knockout tie in the Africa Cup of Nations since Egypt’s 4-0 win against Algeria in the semifinals of the 2010 tournament.

On Saturday, Nigeria will face either Algeria or DR Congo in the quarterfinal in Marrakesh. The two teams face each other on Tuesday.

The Round of 16 concludes on Tuesday, with the final two games and the last spots up for grabs.

The first quarterfinals will take place on Friday, as Mali meet Senegal and hosts Morocco face Cameroon.