Egypt vs Benin: Rohr Targets First AFCON Open-Play Win Over North African Giants
Benin coach Gernot Rohr will be aiming to guide his side to a historic first-ever victory in open play against North African opposition when they face Egypt in the Round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Squirrels, who ended a 16-match winless run at the finals with their maiden open-play triumph against Botswana on matchday two, are targeting back-to-back Round of 16 successes and only their second-ever quarter-final appearance.
This is Benin’s second time competing in the knockout stages after their breakthrough in 2019, when they stunned Morocco on penalties in the Round of 16 following a 1–1 draw.
Moïse Adilehou had given them a 53rd-minute lead before conceding an equaliser in the 76th minute, but they held firm through extra time and triumphed 4–1 in the shoot-out. Their run ended in the quarter-finals with a narrow 1–0 defeat to Senegal.
Rohr’s men have struggled for goals in the current tournament, failing to score in two of their three group matches and managing just one goal overall, the joint-lowest tally among the remaining teams alongside Sudan.
Their 3–0 loss to Senegal in the final group game was the third time they had been beaten by three or more goals at AFCON, following heavy defeats to Morocco in 2004 (4–0) and Côte d’Ivoire in 2008 (4–1).
They also conceded three times from six shots on target faced against Senegal, underlining defensive frailties.
This clash with Egypt will be Benin’s fourth against North African opposition at AFCON. They previously lost 4–0 to Morocco in 2004, fell 2–0 to Egypt in 2010, and claimed their famous penalty shoot-out win over Morocco in 2019.
Yet, they remain without a victory in open play against teams from the region (D1 L2).
Egypt, meanwhile, have history on their side in this fixture. The Pharaohs have won three of the four previous meetings with Benin, drawing once, and have scored in all four encounters.
Their 2–0 win at the 2010 finals remains the only clean sheet in the fixture, while earlier clashes produced goals aplenty, including a 3–3 draw in 2006 World Cup qualifying and a 5–1 friendly win in 2008.
However, Egypt’s recent record against West African opposition is less convincing.
They are winless in their last four such matches, drawing 0–0 with Côte d’Ivoire in the 2021 Round of 16 (advancing on penalties), losing the final to Senegal on spot kicks after another goalless draw, and sharing 2–2 results with Ghana and Cabo Verde in the 2023 group stage.
Their last victory against a West African side came in the 2021 group phase, a 2–0 win over Guinea-Bissau, their only success in their last seven encounters (D5 L1).
