Mohamed Salah scored twice against Malawi to overtake his former coach Hossam Hassan as Egypt’s all-time leading scorer in the national team’s first match since Hassan’s departure.
Salah’s late double capped a 5–0 win at Cairo International Stadium in the third round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. It was an emphatic start for Ali Maher, who took charge less than a week earlier.
Egypt needed just six minutes to open the scoring. Nasser Maher turned in a Mohamed Hany cross for his first international goal, before Omar Marmoush made it 2–0 in the 10th minute and Hany added the third before half-time.
Salah scored Egypt’s fourth in the 84th minute to reach 69 international goals and draw level with Hassan. He then converted a late penalty to complete the rout and claim the record outright with his 70th goal for Egypt.
The record comes 15 years after Salah scored his first international goal, against Niger in 2011. Another of his doubles sent Egypt to the 2018 World Cup, when he converted a stoppage-time penalty against Congo to end the country’s wait for a World Cup appearance dating back to 1990.
The win took Egypt to seven points in Group B, following a goalless draw with Angola and a 5–0 victory over South Sudan. Malawi remain on three points.
The teams meet again on Tuesday, 17 November, at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe. Salah scored there in Egypt’s 4–0 win over Malawi in March 2023 and now has a chance to extend his record.
