Mohamed Salah netted an injury-time winner as Egypt fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 against Zimbabwe in their Africa Cup of Nations Group B opener.
The Liverpool star started his first game in four matches and kicked off a crunch AFCON campaign in perfect fashion when his bobbled shot beat an inspired 40-year-old Washington Arubi in added time.
Salah added to Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush’s equaliser as he bids to win his first AFCON at the fifth time of trying for the record seven-time champions. He rescued his side with the 35th of Egypt’s 35 shots, compared to Zimbabwe’s eight.
Zimbabwe took a shock 20th-minute lead in Agadir despite Egypt’s dominance through Prince Dube.
It looked as though Egypt would continue to huff and puff, with a combination of wayward finishing and an impressive display from Arubi, who made nine stops in total.
Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush netted a 64th-minute equaliser
However, it was Marmoush who applied the first touch of class when he hit the roof of the net after foraying into the Zimbabwe area.
Pressure was already placed upon Egypt to avoid an upset after South Africa’s 2-1 win over Angola earlier in the day to kick-start Group B. The Pharaohs have now put themselves in a favourable position to qualify from the group, setting up a potentially thrilling Boxing Day match against Bafana Bafana.
