By our man at the AFCON
MOHAMED SALAH proved he is still the King of the Continent after snatching a dramatic 91st-minute winner to sink brave Zimbabwe.
The Liverpool superstar turned the Stade Adrar into a sea of red joy, drilling home a low finish just as it looked like the seven-time champions were heading for a humiliating opening-day stalemate.
For much of a sweltering night in Agadir, it was the Warriors of Zimbabwe who were doing the conquering. Despite Egypt boasting 35 shots on goal, it was the underdogs who drew first blood.
Prince Dube silenced the travelling Egyptian ultras in the 20th minute, pouncing on a defensive lapse to fire past Mohamed El Shenawy. The Agadir crowd—expecting a Salah masterclass—was left in stunned silence as the minnows threatened to tear up the script.
Egypt looked toothless until Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush decided to take matters into his own hands.
In the 64th minute, the Etihad ace danced through the Zimbabwean backline before smashing a thunderbolt into the roof of the net to level the scores.
But as the clock ticked into “Fergie Time” at the iconic 45,000-seater venue, it was always going to be Mo.
With the Zimbabwean defense finally creaking under the weight of relentless pressure, Salah found a pocket of space in the box. One touch, one look, and one clinical finish later, the Pharaohs had their three points.
The victory sees Egypt sit pretty at the top of Group B, but they’ll need to sharpen up if they want to go all the way and lift the trophy in Morocco.
MATCH FACTS
Venue: Stade Adrar, Agadir (Morocco)
Goals: Dube (20’); Marmoush (64’), Salah (91’)
Star Man: Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
Would you like me to write a “Player Ratings” sidebar or a follow-up piece on Mo Salah’s post-match comments?
