Mohamed Salah etched his name into Egyptian football history to become the country’s all-time leading goalscorer with a brace in Egypt’s 5-0 victory over Malawi in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
The 34-year-old forward reached the historic milestone with a stoppage-time Panenka penalty, taking his international tally to 70 goals in 123 appearances and surpassing the previous record held by former Egypt striker Hossam Hassan.
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Salah’s landmark achievement capped an impressive performance by the Pharaohs at Cairo International Stadium, where new manager Ali Maher began his tenure with a convincing victory.
Maher had been appointed just six days earlier following the departure of Hassan, but his team delivered a dominant display to strengthen their position in Group B.
Nasser Maher opened the scoring after just six minutes with his first international goal before Tottenham Hotspur forward Omar Marmoush doubled Egypt’s advantage.
Mohamed Hany added a third before half-time, also registering his first goal for the national team.
Salah then took centre stage late in the encounter, heading home Egypt’s fourth goal with six minutes remaining to draw level with Hassan’s long-standing record.
He completed his brace in stoppage time, calmly converting a Panenka penalty after Barcelona teenager Hamza Abdelkarim was brought down inside the box.
The double takes Salah’s international record to 70 goals in 123 appearances since making his debut for Egypt in 2011.
The victory leaves Egypt three points clear of Angola at the top of Group B, although Angola have a game in hand and face South Sudan on Saturday.
Egypt will face Malawi again on Tuesday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe as their AFCON qualifying campaign continues.
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