Premier League stars shine as Egypt edge Zimbabwe in their AFCON opener

Goals from Salah and Marmoush give Egypt the three points

In his first start in four games, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah scored the winner in injury time as The Pharaohs got the three points in dramatic fashion.

Egypt came back from a goal down, as Zimbabwe broke the deadlock in the 20th minute through Prince Dube’s goal, in spite of Egypt’s dominance in the first half.

Egypt dominated Zimbabwe before the late winner in AFCON opener

The Egyptians were dominant throughout, as they had 35 shots in the game compared to Zimbabwe’s eight, and 77% of ball possession compared to 23%.

The goal however wouldn’t come until the 64th minute in the second half, when Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush netted the equalizer, hitting the roof of the net after cutting inside through the left flank.

“We created many ⁠chances without being able to score early, but in the end everything went well,” City’s 26-year-old forward said after the game.

“We kept a good mindset and finished the match strongly. We will learn from everything that happened in tonight’s game.”

Salah's first goal since early November

Salah, who came into the tournament following an outburst and falling out with Liverpool manager Arne Slot after being dropped by the English champions, struggled to find his rhythm but made his presence known when it counted.

The 33-year-old brought the ball under control before a left-foot finish from the inside of the box, scoring his first goal for club and country since early November.

Egypt felt the pressure and had to avoid an upset as South Africa beat Angola 2-1 in the Group B opener.

Now the two sides at the top of Group B will face each other in what is expected to be a thrilling match on Boxing Day.

In the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Egypt are seeking the first AFCON title in 16 years and Salah his first, after taking part in two finals and losing both, in 2017 and 2022.