Mohamed Salah became Egypt’s all-time leading scorer on Friday, November 13, scoring twice late in a 5-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Malawi to reach 70 international goals.
The Egypt captain drew level with Hossam Hassan before moving past him with a stoppage-time penalty in Cairo. It gave new coach Ali Maher a winning start and put Egypt top of Group B with seven points from three matches.
Archive photo: Mohamed Salah playing for Egypt against Argentina at the World Cup on July 7, 2026, not the Malawi qualifier. Photo: Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped, resized and converted to WebP; the adapted image is shared under the same licence.
A header to draw level, then a penalty for the record
Egypt had already built a 3-0 half-time lead through Nasser Maher, Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Hany. Salah’s two goals came after the contest had been settled, but changed the national scoring record.
The Confederation of African Football’s match report says Salah headed in Ibrahim Adel’s cross in the 84th minute before converting a penalty awarded after Hamza Abdel Karim was fouled in added time.
AFP reports that the second goal arrived five minutes into stoppage time. It took Salah to 70, beyond the record held by Hassan, the former Egypt captain and recently departed national-team coach.
Maher’s first match brings points as well as a milestone
The early goals ensured the record chase did not become Egypt’s only route to victory. Nasser Maher opened the scoring after six minutes, connecting with Hany’s delivery, before Marmoush punished a defensive error. Hany then scored himself with a long-range strike before the break.
CAF describes the result as the start of a new era under Ali Maher. The coach inherited a side still working through its qualifying group, and Friday’s win leaves Egypt on seven points. Malawi remain on three.
That is progress toward the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, not confirmation of qualification. Angola, on four points, still have a Saturday match against South Sudan in the group, according to CAF.
What comes next for Egypt?
Egypt and Malawi meet again on Tuesday, November 17, in Lilongwe. The return fixture gives Egypt an immediate chance to build on the Cairo result, with Salah now carrying the national scoring record rather than chasing it.
The milestone stands apart from club achievements: these 70 goals are for Egypt. The late double was both a personal record and the final part of a five-goal qualifying win, with the group campaign still to finish.
