Mohamed Salah struck deep into added time to rescue Egypt from an opening-day scare, as the seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions edged Zimbabwe 2-1 in a dramatic Group B encounter in Agadir last night.
The Liverpool forward pounced on a loose ball inside the area and calmly guided his shot beyond 40-year-old Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi, sealing victory just moments before the final whistle.
Zimbabwe stunned the favourites in the 20th minute when Prince Dube capitalised on a cross from Emmanuel Jalai, controlled possession inside the box and fired a low shot past Mohamed El Shenawy to give the Warriors a shock lead. They almost doubled their lead when the ball broke loose inside Egypt’s six-yard box, but El Shenawy eventually smothered the danger.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 63rd minute when Marmoush timed his run perfectly, burst beyond the defence and smashed the ball into the net from a tight angle to restore parity.
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In added time, Salah reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the box and delivered the decisive finish, sparking celebrations among the Egyptian players and fans alike.
The win leaves Egypt level on three points with South Africa after the opening round of Group B matches, following Bafana Bafana’s 2-1 victory over Angola earlier in Marrakesh.