Salah snatches late winner as Egypt fight back to beat Zimbabwe in AFCON opener

Mohamed Salah struck in stoppage time to complete a dramatic comeback as Egypt edged past Zimbabwe 2-1 in their opening Africa Cup of Nations group game in Morocco.

The Pharaohs dominated the early exchanges at Adrar Stadium, pressing high and pinning Zimbabwe back from the first whistle. Four good chances came and went inside the opening ten minutes, but it was the underdogs who landed the first punch.

Against the run of play, Emmanuel Jalai slipped a neat pass through to Prince Dube on 20 minutes and the forward showed real composure, turning smartly before rolling his finish into the bottom-left corner to silence the Egyptian support.

Zimbabwe nearly made it two soon after. Daniel Msendami’s pace caused panic at the back and only a sharp intervention from goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy denied Washington Navaya from close range.

Egypt kept coming after the break and the pressure finally told in the 64th minute. Omar Marmoush, one of several Premier League-based players in the squad, latched onto a loose ball in the box and finished calmly to bring the favourites level.

For long spells, though, it looked like being another frustrating night for Salah. The captain, making his first start after four straight games on the bench for Liverpool, struggled to impose himself and cut a frustrated figure out wide.

Salah arrived at the tournament under scrutiny following reports of a heated club-level outburst, and he stayed quiet until the very end. Then came the moment that mattered. In the 91st minute, he shifted the ball onto his left foot and drilled home the winner to spark wild celebrations.

The goal ended Egypt’s run of six consecutive draws across the last two AFCON tournaments and puts them level at the top of Group B alongside South Africa, who beat Angola earlier in the day. Egypt face South Africa next on Boxing Day in Agadir, with momentum now firmly on their side.