Salah scores as Egypt reach AFCON quarter-finals, delaying Liverpool return

Goal reports Mohamed Salah will be absent from Liverpool for longer after he scored as Egypt beat Benin 3-1 to reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. Marwan Attia put Egypt ahead in the 69th minute with a long-range strike, before Benin's Jodel Dossou equalised in the 83rd minute to force extra time.

Yasser Ibrahim restored Egypt's lead with a header in the 97th minute and Salah then finished from a distance in the dying seconds to score his 10th AFCON goal and secure the 3-1 win; Egypt will now face either the Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Salah left for international duty in mid-December and has missed Liverpool's away win at Tottenham, the home defeat to Wolves, a goalless draw with Leeds on New Year's Day and a 2-2 draw with Fulham, and his continued absence could see him miss fixtures against Arsenal, Barnsley in the FA Cup and Burnley, potentially extending his total missed games to seven.

Salah apologised to team-mates for an "explosive" interview in which he criticised the club and manager Arne Slot, saying he had been "thrown under the bus", and Curtis Jones quoted him as saying: "If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologise"; Slot later said the matter was resolved, adding "actions speak louder than words" and that the team had moved on.

Key Topics

Sports, Mohamed Salah, Egypt, Afcon, Liverpool, Marwan Attia