The Pharaohs began qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals in winning fashion in Cairo, with Salah moving his total to over 50 on the international stage.
The Reds’ No.11 scored twice in five minutes in the opening half – with his second coming from the penalty spot – before completing a hat-trick in the 48th minute of the contest.
He would add another to become Egypt’s all-time leading goalscorer (15) in World Cup qualifying, while goals from Mostafa Mohamed and Mahmoud Trezeguet concluded the match.
Elsewhere, Dominik Szoboszlai recorded an assist for Hungary in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Bulgaria, which saw his country secure a place at Euro 2024.
Szoboszlai’s set-piece allowed Martin Adam to open the scoring, though the home side turned the game around to take the lead amid a red card for either team.
The Liverpool midfielder then played a crucial role in securing the point Hungary required to qualify for next summer’s tournament, with another free kick in the seventh minute of added time leading to an Alex Petkov own goal.
Diogo Jota, meanwhile, featured for Portugal, who have already qualified for Euro 2024, against Liechtenstein at Rheinpark Stadion, and recorded an assist for his nation’s opener in a 2-0 victory.
Earlier on, Wataru Endo was an unused substitute for Japan as they registered a 5-0 home win over Myanmar in round two of AFC qualifying for the World Cup.
Luke Chambers was named in the England men’s Elite League squad, though they were beaten 3-0 by Italy in a friendly encounter in Doncaster.
Lastly, on Wednesday, Calum Scanlon played the full game as England U19s beat Romania 6-0 in the first of their three fixtures in Marbella.
