Salah marks Pharaohs century with a goal

by Staff Reporter

Thursday Sep 12, 2024. 09:52

Mohamed Salah celebrated his 100th appearance for the Egyptian men’s national team with a goal, as the Pharaohs crushed Botswana 4-0 on Tuesday.

The Egypt captain scored their third goal in a resounding win in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Francistown – his 56th strike in international football.

“We are very happy for Salah and it was nice for him to celebrate this special occasion with a big win. Salah is a great player and very important for the national team,” said Ibrahim Hassan, Egypt national team director.

Salah needs 13 more goals to overtake Egypt’s current manager, Hossam Hassan, as the Pharaohs’ all-time leading scorer.

Salah’s national team journey started in 2011 when Egypt faced Sierra Leone in the AFCON qualifiers, and he scored his first goal in the following game against Niger.

The Liverpool winger has yet to win a trophy with the Pharaohs, but he was their hero when he took Egypt to the FIFA World Cup in 2018, putting an end to a 28-year absence from the tournament.

Meanwhile, Egypt took a huge step toward the 2025 AFCON with their victory over the Zebras – a second in succession to see them top of Group C with a full haul of six points.

Hossam Hassan reflected on his team’s victory, saying, “I am very happy with our performance against Cape Verde and Botswana. It is amazing to win the two matches but we need to focus on what is coming next.”