Egypt forward Mohamed Salah said his team was not among the favorites to win the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title, but insisted they would give their best to go deeper in the tournament in Morocco.
Liverpool forward Salah scored the third goal to secure Egypt’s spot in the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 3-1 extra-time victory over Benin on Monday.
Hossam Hassan’s side are bidding to win the title for the first time since 2010 and a record eight times overall.
“I don’t think we are a favourite at all” Salah said.
“We have young players, and most of them play in Egypt. We just fight for our country — everybody gives their best and you could see it today”.
The 33-year-old said there were no easy games in Afcon.
“The level is quite similar — I told the team yesterday no side loses by four or five goals. [Benin] have a good team and a good coach. I’m glad we managed to win in the end”.
Salah has scored 10 goals in 22 games in the Afcon, two fewer than Hassan El-Shazly, Egypt’s all-time top scorer in the tournament and one fewer than his current coach Hassan.
Egypt face defending champions Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in the quarterfinals in Agadir on Saturday.
Reuters