Mohamed Salah delivered a moment of pure, stoppage-time magic to spare Egypt's blushes in their opening Africa Cup of Nations match, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a resilient Zimbabwe side in Agadir.
Salah Seals Dramatic Turnaround
The match seemed destined for a shock draw until the final moments of added time. In the 91st minute, the Liverpool forward, who had endured a frustrating evening, found space in the penalty area. Showing quick feet, he swivelled and connected with a left-footed half-volley that, albeit scuffed, found its way into the net to spark wild celebrations. This decisive intervention came after Egypt had been forced to recover from a goal down against the so-called Warriors.
Zimbabwe Shock Before Egyptian Fightback
Despite Egypt's early dominance, it was Zimbabwe who struck first against the run of play. On the counter-attack in the 20th minute, Emmanuel Jalai delivered a cross from the right which found Prince Dube. The forward produced an excellent turn on the edge of the box before finishing superbly to stun the seven-time champions.
Egypt, who had seen Salah create several early chances for teammates Trézéguet and Eman Ashour, continued to control possession but lacked a cutting edge. The equaliser finally arrived in the 64th minute through a moment of individual brilliance. Omar Marmoush of Manchester City collected the ball on the left flank, breezed past defender Godknows Murwira, and fired a powerful shot from a tight angle past goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Context of a King's Quest
The sparse crowd at the Grand Stade d'Agadir was an unusual setting for Salah, but the stakes for him personally could not be higher. The one glaring omission from his illustrious career remains an Afcon winner's medal, having lost in the final in both 2017 and 2022. With speculation about his club future at Liverpool and interest from the Saudi Pro League, success with his national team has taken on renewed significance.
This tournament marks a stark contrast to the last edition, where he left early with a hamstring injury amid accusations from some quarters of prioritising club over country. Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassam, noted that Salah "regains his strength with the national team," a sentiment he ultimately justified with his late, match-winning contribution.
After substitute Ahmed "Zizo" Sayed missed two late chances, it was fitting that the nation's talisman had the final word, guiding the record champions to a crucial three points in their quest to finally crown their king.
