Egypt’s coach, Rui Vitoria, stated that it is too soon to determine if Mohamed Salah will participate in the remaining matches of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah suffered an injury during the 2-2 draw against Ghana, forcing him to leave the game towards the end of the first half. The Liverpool striker seemed to be holding the back of his left leg.
“We don’t know yet what is the problem. I hope not a big problem…It is too early to say something,” said Vitoria after his team’s second successive 2-2 draw in the tournament.
“Salah is an amazing player, one of the best players in the world, so we want to have this kind of player always with us.”
Salah’s penalty in stoppage time saved Egypt from a surprising defeat against Mozambique in their first match. However, they faced another tough challenge against a much-improved Ghana team.
The Black Stars, who were shocked by Cape Verde with a 2-1 loss in their opening game, took the lead after Salah got injured. Mohammed Kudus scored a long-range shot just before halftime. Omar Marmoush equalized for Egypt, but Kudus struck again to put Ghana ahead. Nevertheless, Mostafa Mohamed ensured that Egypt secured a point by scoring for the second consecutive game.
“The players were upset after conceding at the end of the first half…but it’s football, we changed the mindset in the second half, we went for the game with positive energy,” said Vitoria.
“Not because of Salah, but because the result was not good. The reaction and commitment of the team were good, but Salah is an amazing player, and we cannot forget that.”
Vitoria emphasized that, despite the severity of Salah’s injury, his squad is still capable of earning a record-extending seventh AFCON trophy.
“Nobody wins the title without coming through difficult games…today we showed, mainly in the second half, the courage and quality of this team.”
