Mohamed Salah undoubtedly returned to the spotlight after a turbulent period at Liverpool, delivering a decisive injury-time goal to lift Egypt to a dramatic victory over Zimbabwe in their opening Africa Cup of Nations clash on Monday.
After being left out of Liverpool’s squad for four straight matches and seeing tensions with coach Arne Slot dominate headlines, the Egyptian superstar arrived at the AFCON with questions surrounding his confidence and club future. On the pitch in Morocco, however, Salah once again proved his priceless value by becoming Egypt’s ultimate game changer.
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆,” 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒉 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒔, 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔.
Last-Gasp Salah Goal Sparks Egypt’s Campaign
Egypt, the record seven-time AFCON champions, are chasing an eighth crown — a trophy Salah himself has never lifted. The Pharaohs came agonizingly close in 2017 and 2022, finishing runners-up on both occasions. This tournament represents another shot at history for the 33-year-old captain.
Starting for the first time in four matches, Salah led Egypt from the front in their Group B opener. Zimbabwe stunned the favorites early when Prince Dube struck in the 20th minute in Agadir, forcing Egypt into relentless attack mode. Despite dominating possession and piling on pressure, Egypt were repeatedly denied by veteran Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi, who produced nine outstanding saves.
Relief finally arrived in the 63rd minute when Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush smashed home a brilliant equalizer. Still, victory seemed uncertain until stoppage time.
In the 91st minute, Salah pounced on a loose ball inside the box, held off a defender, and drilled a precise left-footed finish past the helpless Arubi. The goal — Egypt’s 35th attempt of the night — sealed a thrilling comeback win and ignited celebrations among players and fans alike.
“𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕,” 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑬𝒈𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.
South Africa earlier defeated Angola 2-1 in the group’s other fixture, adding further intrigue to Group B.
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