Mohamed Salah scored a last-minute winner to secure Egypt a 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe in their Africa Cup of Nations opener. The Liverpool forward struck with two minutes remaining, turning in a close-range effort past goalkeeper Washington Arubi after Omar Marmoush had equalised midway through the second half.
Egypt had fallen behind in the 20th minute when Prince Dube led a counter-attack to score. The win gives Egypt a strong start in Group B as they aim for a record-extending eighth Afcon title.
Before departing for the tournament, Salah apologised to his Liverpool teammates following his public criticism of manager Arne Slot and the club after a draw with Leeds United. The comments led to him being dropped for a Champions League match against Inter Milan, and he later said he felt 'thrown under the bus'.
Teammate Curtis Jones confirmed Salah addressed the squad. 'He apologised to us and was like: "If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologise". That's the man that he is,' Jones told Sky Sports. 'He was the exact same Mo, he had a big smile on his face and everybody was exactly the same with him.'
Jones added that the incident showed the team's unity. 'Here is more of a family thing and families argue and fight, but they always stick as one,' he said. 'That little blip showed that the family is the most important thing.'
