Egypt may have a record seven AFCON wins, but their talismanic forward has never lifted the trophy, having finished runners-up twice in 2017 and 2022.
Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera praised Salah’s decisive late intervention with the headline, “Mohamed Salah clears Liverpool’s controversy with dramatic win over Zimbabwe in AFCON opener.”
However, the match report also noted that Salah has looked lackluster for long periods of time, perhaps due to his lack of recent minutes.
“Salah entered the tournament in Morocco under the spotlight following his violent outburst after being dropped by the Premier League champions, but struggled to find his rhythm for most of the match,” the source said.
But the winger stepped up “when it mattered” and helped his country top Group B.
Spanish newspaper “AS” reported that “Salah is still a pharaoh” after the Egyptian national team captain scored a goal in stoppage time.
They said: “Right from the start, Salah showed he was committed to the team, putting the controversy at Liverpool behind him.”
AS also praised international teammate Omar Marmouche, calling him a “luxurious partner” to Salah, the “undisputed leader.”
German newspaper Bild described the match as “Salah’s madness at the African Cup of Nations”.
They said it was packed with “pure drama thanks to superstar Salah”. The match was billed as the “Salah Show,” with additional credit given to compatriot Mamush for pulling the Pharaoh back into contention.
Egypt’s most popular newspaper offered a more balanced critique, observing that Salah looked sluggish for much of the match.
The newspaper said: “The Liverpool forward had little influence for much of the game but was decisive, scoring from close range to give the Pharaohs a hard-fought three points.”
