Egypt face Ghana on Thursday 18 January in both team's second matches at AFCON 2023. Egypt come into the match after rescuing a point against Mozambique while Ghana suffered a shock defeat to Cape Verde on matchday one. Points are therefore of utmost importance for both sides and the Egypt v Ghana last five H2Hs suggest that Mo Salah and co will come away with what they need.
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Egypt vs Ghana H2H record
The Egypt v Ghana rivalry is one that has been very one-sided over the years with Egypt coming out on top regularly. Ghana have only recorded two competitive victories over Egypt over the years with their last one coming eleven years ago in World Cup qualifying.
- Egypt Wins: 12
- Draws: 6
- Ghana Wins: 5
The very first Egypt v Ghana H2H came in 1960 in an international friendly which ended in a draw. Ten years later, they played their first competitive match in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations and that encounter also ended all square. Ironically, their most recent match finished in a stalemate, too, but given neither side won their opening AFCON 2023 match, a draw on Thursday seems unlikely.
Egypt v Ghana last five H2Hs
Ghana 6-1 Egypt – 15th October 2013
Ghana recorded their largest-ever victory over Egypt in October 2013 when the two sides met in the final stage of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. The match was played over two legs with this being the first leg and Ghana clearly didn't want to go into the second leg away from home with any doubts. They thumped Egypt 6-1 with Asamoah Gyan netting a double.
Egypt 2-1 Ghana – 19th November 2013
The second leg a month later felt like the most pointless exercise in the world with Egypt needing a five-goal swing to qualify for the World Cup. They may have started dreaming when former Wigan striker, Amr Zaki put them 1-0 up after 25 minutes but the Pharaohs failed to kick on. By the time Mohamed Gedo made it 2-0 in the 84th minute, the tie was done but they didn't miss out on much – Ghana finished bottom of their World Cup and picked up just one point.
Egypt 2-0 Ghana – 13th November 2016
Egypt and Ghana met again in November 2016 in a World Cup 2018 qualifying match. The stakes weren't quite as high as their previous H2H but Egypt got their revenge with a comfortable 2-0 win. Mo Salah, who was beginning to turn his career around after a poor stint at Chelsea, scored the opener and provided the assist for the second.
Egypt 1-0 Ghana – 25th January 2017
The last time Egypt and Ghana played each other at the Africa Cup of Nations came in 2017. Ghana had already secured qualification through to the knockout stages of the tournament heading into the match while Egypt only needed a point. Mo Salah put to bed any Egyptian nerves early on with a lovely strike and the match never really took back off. Egypt would go on to reach the final of the tournament before losing to Cameroon.
Ghana 1-1 Egypt – 12th November 2017
The most recent Egypt v Ghana H2H came in November 2017 in a World Cup qualifier. This was the final qualifying match of Group E and Egypt's position as group winners had already been secured. In what was effectively a dead rubber, Mahmoud Abdelrazek gave Egypt the lead on the hour mark before Ghana equalised a few minutes later through Edwin Gyasi. Egypt would go on to pick up zero points at the 2018 World Cup.
Potential MVP – Mo Salah
Whenever Egypt are in action, attention immediately turns to Mo Salah. He is unquestionably their star player and he will be the most dangerous player on the pitch on Thursday night. He already has a goal to his name at AFCON 2023 after his late penalty against Mozambique while he assisted Egypt's opener, too.
Salah is on a quest this tournament to avenge his nation's loss in the 2022 edition of the tournament where they lost in a penalty shootout to Senegal in the final. Salah has been sensational for Liverpool this season, with 18 goals to his name in all competitions, and if he can play at that level over the next month then the Pharaohs have every chance.
Key trend
Looking at the Egypt v Ghana last five H2Hs, there are some trends about a certain Mo Salah that ought to concern Ghana. The Liverpool winger has two goals and three assists in just four appearances against them which bodes the question – Will Mo Salah score again on Thursday night? We are predicting Salah to score in a 2-1 victory for Egypt.
For more tips, check out our in-depth Egypt vs Ghana prediction.
