Egypt swept Malawi 5-0 at Cairo International Stadium on Friday in a Group B match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Egypt took control early when Nasser Maher opened the scoring inside the first ten minutes. Omar Marmoush added a second in the 10th minute. Mohamed Hany netted a third before halftime. The Pharaohs held a 3-0 lead at the break, according to BBC Sport. The comfortable lead left Malawi with no path back.
The victory puts Egypt three points clear of Angola. Angola takes on South Sudan on Saturday, according to BBC Sport. Malawi sits on three. South Sudan remains without a point.
Mohamed Salah scored twice in the closing stages. He got on the scoresheet when he stooped to head in a cross from the left. He rounded off proceedings by dinking in a penalty after Hamza Abdelkarim was tripped in the box, according to BBC Sport.
The brace brought his national team tally to 70 goals for Egypt. That placed him past Hossam Hassan by most counts, though no formal football governing body has officially confirmed the total.
Friday’s match was the first outing under new coach Ali Maher. The Egyptian Football Association dismissed Hossam Hassan on November 7 following off-field controversies, just a week before the qualifier. Hassan, who was described by bbc.co.uk as 60-year-old, had previously guided Egypt to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025 and the last 16 of this year’s FIFA World Cup.
Egypt and Malawi meet again on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, for the return fixture in Malawi. Salah will have the opportunity to add to his international goal count. The tournament finals will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, with the top two teams from Group B advancing.
