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There were no apologies from Mohamed Salah to his teammates in red last night, with Egypt’s players grateful to Liverpool’s troubled superstar for conjuring an injury-time winner against the aptly named Warriors of Zimbabwe.
After failing to capitalise on a dominant start, the seven-times Afcon winners required a stunning second-half equaliser from Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush and Salah’s late winner to spare their blushes against unfancied Zimbabwe, who have never progressed beyond the group stages.
Salah had sparkled initially before fading as perhaps his lack of recent playing time at Liverpool took its toll, but ended up having the last word as he swivelled in the penalty area to shoot past Zimbabwe’s Washington Arubi with a left-foot half-volley.
The sparsely populated bowl of the Grand Stadium, which began the game with around 10% of its 45,000 seats occupied before the lowest of its three tiers eventually came close to filling up, is not in reality the grandest of stages on which the so-called Egyptian King usually thrives, but neither is this tournament.
For all the adoration he inspires in Egypt and throughout Africa the lack of an Afcon winner’s medal is the one major absence on Salah’s CV,
Salah’s situation in this tournament could not be more different from the previous Afcon in Côte d’Ivoire two years, when he was accused of prioritising club over country. Egypt’s greatest player left that tournament early to return to Liverpool for treatment after a hamstring injury during a group game against Ghana, with Egypt’s most capped player Ahmed Hassan accusing him of letting his country down. Salah had initially found salvation in being reunited with his countrymen on this occasion, however, with Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassam saying “he regains his strength with the national team.”
On reporting for duty in Cairo last week, Salah showed his leadership credentials by organising a players’ meeting without the coaching staff, in which he emphasised that winning Afcon should be their sole target over the next few weeks.
Straight from the kick-off it was clear that he has the freedom to roam as he wishes in this team, something denied him by Arne Slot at Liverpool, drifting into central areas and even dropping deep to pick up possession in his own half as he saw fit. Given the pedestal upon which Hassam has placed his captain, it seems unlikely he will have quibbled. Salah remains most threatening from the right however, and twice in the space of one first-half minute he came close to conjuring the opening goal.
A lofted cross to Trézéguet in the seventh minute produced a header that was saved by Zimbabwe’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Washington Arubi before he cut in from the right himself a minute later with his shot from the edge of the penalty area blocked. Salah created another chance in the 12th minute for Emam Ashour,which he slashed wide, his last notable contribution of a truncated evening, which ended in the 34th minute when Hassam replaced him with Mostafa Mohamed in a tactical switch after falling behind.
Egypt should have been two goals up but found themselves a goal down due to a stunning strike from Prince Dube. The goal came from nowhere, with Emmanuel Jalai crossing from the right to Dube, who produced a wonderful turn and finish from the edge of the area.
Zimbabwe almost doubled their lead five minutes later, but Egypt’s own veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy saved from Daniel Msendami and Washington Navaya narrowly failed to turn the ball into the empty net.
Egypt continued to dominate in terms of possession and chance-creation, but were unable to take advantage. Marmoush was most culpable, shooting across goal and over the bar after twice being released by Salah before half-time, as well as bringing a smart save from Arubi with a thunderbolt from 35 yards.
Having spurned easier chances, Marmoush’s 64th-minute equaliser was something special. The Manchester City forward collected the ball with immaculate control on the left flank before racing away from Godknows Murwira and beating Arubi with a powerful finish from a tight angle.
The substitute Ahmed Zizo spurned two further chances, the latter created by Salah in the final minute before he had the final word.
