Egypt managed to secure only one point in their first Africa Cup of Nations match against underdogs Mozambique, thanks to a last-minute penalty converted by Mohamed Salah.
The game started with Egypt taking the lead in just two minutes. However, Mohamed Salah failed to control a ball into the box, allowing Mostafa Mohamed to spin and unleash a powerful shot into the bottom corner.
Shortly after, Trezeguet had a chance to double the lead but hit the base of the post with a strong low drive.
In the second half, Mozambique equalized, scoring their first goal in the AFCON in 14 years. Witi scored an impressive header, leaving Egypt stunned.
Just a minute later, Clesio Bauque added a second goal for Mozambique, completely turning the game around. He sprinted past Ahmed Hegazi’s desperate slide tackle and calmly finished in the corner.
With only eight minutes left on the clock, Salah had an opportunity to score, but he missed the target with a finish that was more suited for a defender.
However, in injury time, Egypt was granted a penalty after Mohamed was fouled in the box, following a lengthy VAR review.
Salah stepped up and successfully converted the penalty, saving Egypt from a disappointing result. Nevertheless, this late goal masked the fact that both Salah and the national team had a subpar performance.
The Mozambique team, ranked 111th in the world by FIFA, had not scored a goal in the AFCON for 14 years. Despite this, they faced a talented Egyptian team and gave it their all. It is a remarkable achievement for them to earn a point, even though they were disappointed to come so close to their first-ever win in the tournament, only to be denied by a late penalty.
The standout player in the match was Salah from Liverpool. His most significant contribution was scoring a penalty in the final moments of the game. However, for the majority of the 90 minutes, he had little impact on the game and failed to truly challenge the Mozambique defense. Considering his reputation as one of the best players in the world, scoring a penalty does not compensate for his overall underwhelming performance.
Egypt will face Ghana in their next match, where they will aim for their first victory. This will be another challenging test for Salah and his teammates. Mozambique’s next fixture is against Cape Verde on Friday.
