Nasser Maher scores first Egypt goal as Malawi are beaten 5-0

Nasser Maher says his opportunity to represent Egypt arrived at the right time after scoring his first international goal in their 5-0 win over Malawi in the third round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Pyramids FC forward opened the scoring as Egypt produced a convincing victory, with Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Hany and Mohamed Salah, who scored twice, completing the five-goal victory.

“I thank God for the win and for scoring my first international goal with Egypt,” Maher told beIN SPORTS.

“I had hoped to be involved with the national team during the previous period, but thankfully the opportunity has come now. I thank my team-mates, and I also thank Ali Maher for giving me the chance to represent Egypt and contribute to making the Egyptian people happy.”

Maher said the squad had quickly adapted to the national team’s plans despite having had limited time together with the coaching staff.

“The atmosphere inside the national team is excellent, and we are happy with what Mohamed Salah is offering,” he added.

“We performed well and achieved a positive result. Although we had not worked together with the coaching staff for a long period, we managed to understand some of their ideas in a short time. We still have a lot more to offer in the coming period.”

The win moved Egypt to seven points at the top of Group B, while Malawi remain on three points in third place.

Maher warned that the second meeting between the sides would present a tougher challenge, with Egypt travelling to Malawi for the fourth round of matches.

“Malawi are not an easy team at all, and we respect every national side,” he said. “The return match at the opponents’ stadium will be difficult, and we must prepare well for it.”

Egypt will face Malawi again on Tuesday, 17 November. The match will be shown on beIN SPORTS and will kick off at 15:00.