Mohamed Salah Scores in Stoppage-Time as Egypt Opens Afcon Campaign with 2-1 Win Over Zimbabwe

Key Takeaways:

• Mohamed Salah netted a decisive last-minute goal to secure Egypt’s comeback victory over Zimbabwe in their opening Africa Cup of Nations fixture
• Omar Marmoush scored the equaliser in the second half after Prince Dube opened the scoring for Zimbabwe within the first 20 minutes
• Curtis Jones revealed Salah apologised to his Liverpool teammates prior to leaving for international duty following tensions with manager Arne Slot

Egypt Launches AFCON Campaign with Dramatic Comeback

Mohamed Salah delivered a sensational last-gasp goal to guide Egypt to a 2-1 comeback triumph against Zimbabwe in their first Africa Cup of Nations group match. Prince Dube struck early for Zimbabwe, capitalising on a swift counter-attack to put his side ahead with 20 minutes gone. Despite this setback, Hossam Hassan’s Egyptian side rallied and gained momentum heading into half time.

The breakthrough arrived midway through the second half courtesy of Omar Marmoush, whose spectacular finish levelled the scores. With just two minutes remaining in regulation time, Salah found the net with a close-range effort that eluded Washington Arubi, completing Egypt’s turnaround and ensuring all three points.

MO SALAH WITH THE STOPPAGE TIME WINNER IN EGYPT'S AFCON OPENER 👑 pic.twitter.com/UDxfpJzfsx

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 22, 2025

Turbulence at Liverpool: Salah’s Apology After Controversial Comments

Prior to departing for AFCON, Salah issued an apology to his Liverpool teammates after drawing criticism for remarks made about head coach Arne Slot and the club following the draw with Leeds United. The fallout from his comments saw him excluded from the squad during Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Inter Milan, having declared in a post-match interview that he no longer maintained a relationship with Slot and felt he had been “thrown under the bus”.

Salah made a return as a substitute in Liverpool’s subsequent win against Brighton and Hove Albion, but speculation around his long-term future at Anfield continues.

Liverpool Squad Reacts: Unity Amid Family Atmosphere

Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League contest against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, midfielder Curtis Jones provided insight into Salah’s relationship with the team. He told Sky Sports: “Mo is his own man and he can say his own stuff.

“He apologised to us and was like: ‘If I’ve affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologise’. That’s the man that he is.

“I can only speak from me knowing Mo and how he is with us and how he acted on that. He was positive as well.

“He was the exact same Mo, he had a big smile on his face and everybody was exactly the same with him. I guess it’s just part of wanting to be a winner and I don’t think he will be the last.”

Jones continued: “I get that there are certain ways you can go about things, but if a lad’s fine to just be on the bench and he doesn’t want to play and help the team, I think that’s more of an issue.

“When there’s been any sort of anger from us, including myself, it’s always been from a good place. In the moment, it might not have come out in the right way, but it’s never been to affect the team, the staff, the manager, anybody like that.

“We’re past that now and we’re gelling well as a team, playing well and starting to win games.

“I’ve spoken to lads at different teams and I see how our team is to theirs. Here is more of a family thing and families argue and fight, but they always stick as one. That little blip showed that the family is the most important thing.

“I say that with obviously the fans and the stuff with Mo that it’s not affected us in any sort of way. It affected our minds in needing to win, but nobody has blamed anybody and I think that’s the important thing.”

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