Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah made an immediate impact at the Africa Cup of Nations by scoring the winner for Egypt against Zimbabwe on Monday night
Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring for Egypt against Zimbabwe. (Image: (FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images))
Mohamed Salah scored a late winner as Egypt came from behind to beat Zimbabwe in the first match of their Africa Cup of Nations campaign. Salah’s side fell behind when Prince Dube finished a fine counter-attack with 20 minutes on the clock.
But, to their credit, Hossam Hassan’s side rallied to the setback and finished the first-half the stronger of the two teams. And, midway through the second-half, a moment of magic from Omar Marmoush drew his side level.
And just when it looked like the points were going to be shared, Salah struck two minutes from normal time when his effort from close-range bobbled past Washington Arubi.
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Before heading out to Morocco, Salah apologised to his Liverpool team-mates after criticising head coach Arne Slot and the club in an interview following the 3-3 draw with Leeds United earlier this month.
Salah was removed from selection for the 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan after he said he no longer had a relationship with Slot and that he had been “thrown under the bus.”
Although the forward did come off the subs bench during the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, his Liverpool future has been thrown into doubt.
But speaking to Sky Sports before the Reds’ 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Curtis Jones revealed: “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.
Mohamed Salah reacts at full time after Liverpool’s Premier League match against Brighton.(Image: Getty)
“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 then 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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