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28 min: Marmoush is getting about, drifting around that forward line … before Yasser Ibrahim delivers a perfect sliding challenge at the back for Egypt.
27 min: Marmoush is crowded out on Egypt’s right wing as Benin regain control of the ball. A yellow card is brandished against Olaïtan after his elbow goes up with Yasser Ibrahim when leaping for a high ball.
25 min: Marmoush nicely collects a ball down the right channel … but the offside flag is up.
23 min: Benin have more than enough to give Egypt’s high line a scare.
20 min: Egypt venture down the left and a low ball in prompts chaos; Mo Salah can’t get a strike away and Marmoush rushes forward to poke at the ball … there’s no power on his effort as Benin clear.
19 min: Yasser Ibrahim heads away as Benin continue to go down the long-ball route … before Aloko bursts down the right wing, cuts in … but overdoes it and can’t get a shot away.
17 min: Olaïtan decides to shoot, but it was too far out for a curling effort – he hits it straight to El Shenawy.
16 min: Hamdi Fathy shoves Tosin and Benin have a free-kick in the left channel, the ball ready to be whipped in to the area …
15 min: Benin have a chance to launch a long throw with Olaïtan to deliver from the left. It’s flicked on inside the area before Egypt clear.
13 min: Rami Rabia gets a yellow for a rather ridiculous handball near the halfway line, palming away the ball with his left hand.
10 min: Dandjinou is in the action once again, rushing out to clean up a dangerous diagonal ball into the area.
8 min: A lovely diagonal ball finds Olaïtan on the left, and he plays to the overlapping Roche as Benin begin to look dangerous … but a through ball leaves Omar Marmoush in a one-on-one with Dandjinou … he holds on for too long as the keeper gets out and makes himself big. You’d expect better from the Manchester City forward.
6 min: Benin drop deep before launching a counter, a dinked ball over the top trying to find Tosin, who is quickly sandwiched by two Egypt shirts.
4 min: Salah twists and turns when dropping into midfield, keeping hold of the ball to get Egypt moving.
3 min: Mohamed Hamdy, the Egypt left-back, commits a foul when pressing up the wing. The favourites begin to knock it around themselves … before Benin’s Tosin tries his luck from miles out. It’s a dreadful effort.
1 min: Benin wheel it around the back to begin with.
Peeeeep!
Egypt are decked out in red and white, while Benin, in yellow, kick things off. The sun’s out; let’s play.
Right, the anthems are underway at the Adrar Stadium. We’ll be up and running shortly.
It’s obviously been a very quiet news day in the world of football, riiiiiiighhhht?
Here’s Osasu Obayiuwana’s view:
For the Pharaohs, managed by the multiple Afcon winner Hossam Hassan and with players such as Omar Marmoush of Manchester City, Trézéguet and Mohamed Salah, this should be an easy day at the office. But it will be anything but that if Gernot Rohr, the manager of only the second Benin side to qualify for the knockout stages, has anything to do with it. ‘This is going to be a big game, a fantastic game for our country,’ Rohr told the Guardian. ‘Of course, we know the big players they have … We know that it will be difficult to beat them. But as outsiders, we will have our chance.’
It’s not been a tournament of shocks, as Jonathan Wilson explains here:
The teams
Egypt: Mohamed El Shenawy, Hany, Ibrahim, Rabia, Hamdy, Attia, Fathy, Adel, Salah, Marmoush, Trézéguet
Subs: Ahmed El Shenawy, Sobhi, Abdelmaguid, Ashour, Mohsen, Mohamed, Abou El Fetouh, Shehata, Fathi, Faisal, Eid, Zizo, Shobeir, Saber, Ismail
Benin: Dandjinou, Ouorou, Verdon, Tijani, Roche, Dokou, D’Almeida, Hassane, Aloko, Tosin, Olaïtan
Subs: Fassinou, Attidjikou, Ahlinvi, Kiki, Ahouangbo, Allagbé, Dossou, Kossi, Amoussou, Obassa, Rachidou, Tessilimi, Azongnitode, Ahoudo, Akimey
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to the Afcon show. We’re into the last 16, with the seven-time champions facing a side that have reached the quarter-finals just once. Even then, when Benin got to the last eight in 2019, it was without winning a single game in normal time; a shootout win against Morocco was preceded by three draws in the group stage. Egypt are the giants here, chasing No 8.
Despite his country’s past glories and all his success at club level, Mo Salah is still chasing his first Afcon title. He scored two goals in the group stage, including the winner against Zimbabwe, as Egypt finished top. Benin finally secured their first Afcon victory in normal time with a 1-0 win agaist Botswana, and find themselves here via a third-place finish. Agadir is the scene for what looks a routine job for Salah and co … though the last 16 is where they fell two years ago, dumped out on penalties by DR Congo. Here’s to some proper knockout drama in Agadir. Kick-off’s at 4pm GMT.
