Pharaohs' flood drowns Malawi in Cairo.. Clean five strengthens Egypt's lead in its AFCON qualifying group

13.11.26 FT AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt

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Malawi

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Egypt began Ali Maher's reign in spectacular fashion, defeating Malawi 5-0 at Cairo International Stadium on Friday 13 November in the third round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Nasser Maher, Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Hany scored before half time while captain Mohamed Salah struck twice in the closing stages to complete a commanding victory.

The result lifted Egypt to seven points at the top of Group B, three ahead of Angola, who face South Sudan on Saturday.

But the evening also produced an individual milestone, Salah became Egypt's all time leading scorer with 70 international goals, surpassing former coach Hossam Hassan's record of 69.

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Three goals in 38 minutes.. Egypt overwhelm Malawi

The Pharaohs needed just six minutes to break the deadlock when Nasser Maher converted Mohamed Hany's pass to score his first international goal.

Four minutes later, Marmoush doubled the advantage with a powerful finish following an attacking move involving Ahmed Sayed Zizo.

Egypt continued to dominate, and Hany added a spectacular third shortly before half time, firing a long range effort beyond the Malawian goalkeeper.

The opening 45 minutes provided an impressive response from Maher's players, particularly given the limited preparation time following his appointment on 7 November.

Nasser Maher's early breakthrough was also significant after the new coach's midfield selections had attracted attention as previously examined in Foot Africa's analysis of Egypt's tactical options.

Salah breaks historic record as Egypt complete five goal victory

Egypt maintained control after the interval, although the fourth goal did not arrive until the 84th minute.

Substitute Ibrahim Adel created the opportunity for Salah who headed home to extend the Pharaohs' lead.

The Egypt captain then converted a penalty deep into stoppage time to complete his double and secure a place at the top of the national team's all time scoring charts.

The victory also extended Egypt's unbeaten start to their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign to three matches, with two wins and one draw.

Malawi remain on three points after suffering their second consecutive defeat.

The two teams meet again on Tuesday 17 November at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

For Ali Maher, five goals, a clean sheet and three points could hardly have provided a stronger opening result. The challenge now is to maintain that momentum away from home.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

Related teams and leagues

Egypt

Malawi

AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations