Egypt captain Mohamed Salah has played bottomward allocution of actuality one of the favourites at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, insisting the Pharaohs are focused on demography the clash one bout at a time.
Chasing a record-extending eighth continental title, Egypt appointed their abode in the quarter-finals with a hard-fought 3–1 extra-time achievement over Benin, with Salah already afresh arch from the front. The amulet denticulate Egypt’s absolute third appetite on Monday night, demography his account to three goals in three matches at the tournament.
Despite his sparkling form, Salah is agog to accumulate expectations in check.“I don’t anticipate we are favourites,” he said afterwards the match. “We accept adolescent players, best of them arena aback home in Egypt. We are aloof angry for our country, again we see area we can go. Everyone actuality aloof wants to accord their best.”
Salah has featured in all but one of Egypt’s matches so far, sitting out the final accumulation bold adjoin Angola back accomplishment was already assured. That decision, fabricated by arch drillmaster Hossam Hassan, accepted absolute as Egypt begin the bend in added time adjoin a adamant Benin side.
“Physically, we were a little bigger in added time and that gave us the advantage,” Salah explained. “There is no accessible bold in Africa anymore because the levels are actual close. I told the boys that we haven’t apparent teams accident by four or bristles goals, and that says a lot.”
The Liverpool advanced was quick to accede the affection of the opposition.“We played adjoin a aggregation with a acceptable drillmaster and a able structure. It wasn’t easy, but we are adored to accept won in the end.”
Away from the spotlight, Salah has abundantly abhorred media absorption during Egypt’s break in Agadir, agilely absorption on both aggregate success and claimed redemption. Having absent two AFCON finals, the 32-year-old is still block his aboriginal continental crown.
There is additionally history aural reach. Salah’s three goals in Morocco accept taken him to 66 all-embracing goals, aloof three shy of arch drillmaster Hossam Hassan’s abiding Egypt scoring almanac of 69. Hassan, himself an Egyptian fable and AFCON champ as a player, has no agnosticism Salah will beat the mark eventually rather than later.
“He is a actual important player, not alone for us but additionally for his club Liverpool,” Hassan said in a antecedent interview. “He has apparent his administration in this tournament, allegorical the adolescent players and demography responsibility. We are adored to accept him, and I apprehend him to accumulate scoring.”
For Salah, alone milestones abide secondary. His hunger, like Egypt’s ambition, is durably anchored on one prize; appropriation the AFCON bays at last.