Mohamed Salah struck deep into stoppage time to give Egypt a winning start to their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 2 1 comeback victory over Zimbabwe in Agadir.

The Pharaohs were stunned in the 20th minute when Prince Dube put Zimbabwe ahead at the Stade Agadir, despite Egypt dominating the opening stages.

The Warriors midfielder controlled the ball neatly inside the Egyptian penalty area, spun his marker and finished calmly beyond Mohamed El Shenawy in a goal that came firmly against the run of play.

Mario Marinica’s side remained organised and resilient, frustrating one of the tournament favourites and limiting clear openings despite sustained Egyptian pressure.

Omar Marmoush was Egypt’s most influential attacking outlet, repeatedly testing Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi, including with a powerful long range effort that dipped late.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan made a tactical change before half time, replacing Eman Ashour with Mostafa Mohamed to add physical presence in attack and allow Marmoush operate centrally.

The switch paid off shortly after the hour as Marmoush broke into the left channel, collected a lofted pass and smashed an equaliser into the roof of the net.

As the match appeared destined for a draw, Salah delivered the decisive moment, firing a precise late strike into the corner past Arubi to seal victory and hand Egypt the perfect start as they chase a first AFCON title with their talismanic captain leading the way.

Faridah Abdulkadiri 

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