Mohamed Salah delivered a moment of pure drama deep into injury time, firing home a 91st-minute winner to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory for Egypt over a stubborn Zimbabwe in their Africa Cup of Nations opener on Monday.
Pharaohs Frustrated Before Late Show
The match, played at the Grande Stade d'Agadir in Morocco, seemed destined for a frustrating draw for the seven-time champions. Egypt had dominated possession and created a host of early chances, but found themselves stunned when Zimbabwe's Prince Dube opened the scoring against the run of play in the 20th minute.
Egypt laid siege to the Zimbabwe goal from the first whistle, but it was the underdogs who struck first. Emmanuel Jalai provided the incisive pass inside for Dube, who turned sharply and placed a composed finish into the bottom left corner. Zimbabwe nearly doubled their lead before the break, with Daniel Msendami's pace creating a chaotic chance that goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy did well to smother.
Marmoush Magic Sparks Recovery
The pressure finally told in the 64th minute. Omar Marmoush equalised with a superb solo effort, collecting a long pass on the left, cutting inside, and firing home with his right foot from a tight angle. The Wolverhampton Wanderers forward's goal ignited the Egyptian side and their supporters.
"We created many chances without being able to score early, but in the end everything went well," Marmoush said after the match. "We kept a good mindset and finished the match strongly. We will learn from everything that happened in tonight's game."
Substitute Ahmed Zizo missed two golden opportunities to put Egypt ahead, first heading wide from a perfect Mohamed Hamdy cross and then failing to convert a chance set up by Salah himself just four minutes from time.
Salah Seals It At The Death
It was left to captain and talisman Mohamed Salah to be the hero. The Liverpool star, who had been relatively quiet for much of the contest, showed his class when it mattered most. In the first minute of added time, he held off his marker, brought the ball under control, and swept a left-footed finish into the net to spark wild celebrations.
The winner was a significant moment for Salah, who arrived at the tournament under scrutiny after a public reaction to being dropped by his club side. His decisive contribution broke a run of six successive draws for Egypt in the Afcon finals across the last two editions.
The result means Egypt join South Africa at the top of Group B, after Bafana Bafana's 2-1 win over Angola earlier in Marrakech. The Pharaohs' next fixture is a crucial top-of-the-table clash against South Africa in Agadir on Boxing Day, while Zimbabwe will face Angola in Marrakech on Friday.
