Mohamed Salah Becomes Egypt's All-Time Top Scorer in Dominant Victory Over Malawi

Mohamed Salah has etched his name into the history books as Egypt's all-time leading goalscorer after netting a double in a 5-0 rout of Malawi during an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday. The victory marked a triumphant start for manager Ali Maher, who had taken charge only six days prior following the departure of Hossam Hassan.

The Pharoahs delivered a ruthless performance at Cairo International Stadium. Nasser Maher opened the scoring in the sixth minute with his first international goal, followed quickly by a second from Tottenham Hotspur attacker Omar Marmoush. Mohamed Hany added a third before halftime, also scoring his first goal for Egypt.

Salah secured the fourth goal with a header six minutes before the end of the match, before capping off the night with a Panenka penalty in stoppage-time after Barcelona teenager Hamza Abdelkarim was fouled in the box. With these two goals, the 34-year-old Salah has reached 70 goals in 123 appearances, surpassing the long-standing record previously held by his former coach, Hassan.

The result leaves Egypt three points clear of Angola at the top of Group B, with Angola scheduled to face South Sudan on Saturday. Salah has maintained impressive form since moving from Liverpool to Turkish side Tranzonspor, scoring nine goals in 11 Super Lig games. During his tenure at Liverpool, he became the club's top Premier League scorer with 191 goals and the top African scorer in the Uefa Champions League with 50 goals. His 277 goal contributions for the club remain the highest for any single player in Premier League history.

Egypt will face Malawi again on Tuesday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Achraf Hakimi Shines for Morocco

In another qualifier, African Footballer of the Year Achraf Hakimi scored twice as Morocco defeated Niger 5-1 in Casablanca. This result maintains Morocco's perfect start in Group A. Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain full-back, recorded his first brace for Morocco, including a stunning strike from outside the area and a brilliant free-kick.

The match at Mohammed V Stadium also saw goalkeeper Yassine Bounou save a penalty in his 100th appearance for the Atlas Lions. Other goals were provided by Yassir Zabiri, Youssef En-Nesyri, and debutant Ayoub Oufkir, the latter being assisted by Hakimi. This follows Hakimi's first career hat-trick two weeks ago for PSG against Le Harve in Ligue 1.