Rohrs Benin and Mozambique out
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This article first appeared on Transfermarkt at 8:13 p.m. and was subsequently updated.
Record winner Egypt with star striker Mohamed Salah can continue to dream of their eighth Africa Cup title despite a bumpy appearance in the round of 16. The favored Pharaohs moved into the quarter-finals in Agadir thanks to a 3-1 (1-1, 0-0) after extra time against Benin, coached by Gernot Rohr. In this, football teacher Hossam Hassan’s team will face Burkina Faso or defending champions Ivory Coast on Saturday, who will duel on Tuesday (8 p.m.). The final will take place on January 18th in Rabat.
Update 10:40 p.m.: The favorite also triumphed in the second round of 16 of the day. Nigeria easily won 4-0 (2-0) against Mozambique in Fes. Ademola Lookman (20th), Victor Osimhen (25th/47th) and Akor Adams (75th) scored the goals for the always superior Super Eagles, who have won the African Cup three times so far. Nigeria’s quarter-final opponent will be between Algeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday (5 p.m.).
Marwan Ateya (69th minute), Yasser Ibrahim (97th) and Salah (120th + 4) paved the way for the Egyptians to reach the round of the last eight teams with their goals. Jodel Dossou (83′) had equalized for the clear outsiders to make it 1-1. Premier League professionals Omar Marmoush from Manchester City and Liverpool’s Salah hardly stood out against Benin’s strong defense.
Marmoush could possibly have given his teammates a slightly more pleasant day at work, but the ex-Frankfurt player failed in the early stages after a counterattack free in front of Benin’s goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou. The remaining attack attempts were often easy prey for Rohr’s attentive defenders.
In a game that was poor in highlights, Ateya finally provided a bright moment when he curled the ball inside into the top left corner from almost 20 meters. Benin responded with great luck: Egypt’s goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy scraped a deflected cross away from the line, but right at the feet of Dossou, who effortlessly finished. In extra time, Ibrahim scored with a header and Salah scored after a counterattack.
Benin coach Rohr can claim historic success
Despite the elimination, the trip to Morocco ends historically for the Benineses. In the preliminary round, the small West African country won a game at an African Cup for the first time with a 1-0 win against Botswana; the other group games against the Democratic Republic of Congo (0:1) and Senegal (0:3) ended in defeats. Egypt progressed first in Group B with seven points. During his playing days, the former professional footballer Rohr played for FC Bayern Munich, Waldhof Mannheim and the Offenbacher Kickers, among others.