Why is "all-time top scorer" trending? Because Mohamed Salah became Egypt's leading scorer in history on Friday evening, 13 November 2026, scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Malawi at Cairo International Stadium in the third round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
How did he do it? The Egypt captain started the night on 68 goals. He drew level with Hossam Hassan with an 84th-minute header from a long ball by substitute Ibrahim Adel, then moved clear with a penalty four minutes into stoppage time.
How do the two records compare? Salah now has 70 goals in 123 internationals. Hossam Hassan scored 69 in 176 matches between 1985 and 2006.
Who scored the other goals? Nasser Maher opened the scoring in the sixth minute from a Mohamed Hany cross, and Omar Marmoush added the second in the 10th. Hany made it 3-0 in the 39th minute with a strike from outside the box, his first goal for Egypt.
What does the win mean for Egypt? It came in the first competitive match for coach Ali Maher, who took over from Hossam Hassan himself on 7 November. Egypt now lead their group with seven points and face Malawi again on Tuesday, 17 November.
Source: Al Jazeera, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Asharq Al-Awsat, KoraPlus
