Egypt were forced to dig deep in their opening match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, coming from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe at the Adrar Stadium on Monday night.
The Pharaohs dominated possession and territory for long spells but found themselves trailing at the break after Prince Dube stunned the favourites with a composed finish in the 20th minute. Hossam Hassan’s side eventually asserted their superiority in the second half, with Omar Marmoush levelling the contest on 63 minutes before Mohamed Salah struck in stoppage time to seal a hard-earned win.
Egypt set the early tempo and applied sustained pressure in the opening exchanges. Marwan Attia went close on 10 minutes after winning the ball back following his own misplaced pass, but his effort sailed over the crossbar. Emam Ashour then tested Zimbabwe’s defensive organisation moments later, drifting into space after a pass from Salah, only to see his shot drift narrowly wide.
Despite Egypt’s control, it was Zimbabwe who produced the first effort on target. Jonah Fabisch’s header from a wide delivery forced Mohamed El Shenawy into a save on 18 minutes, offering an early warning that the Warriors remained a threat on the counter. That warning materialised shortly afterwards when Emmanuel Jalai threaded a precise pass into the penalty area for Dube, who calmly guided his finish into the bottom-left corner to give Zimbabwe a surprise lead.
Egypt attempted to respond before the interval, with Marmoush twice threatening to restore parity. His driven effort from distance on 38 minutes was turned behind by Washington Arubi, while a mis-hit shot from close range in stoppage time spared Zimbabwe further danger. Trezeguet’s late header from a corner at least tested Arubi, but the veteran goalkeeper held firm to preserve Zimbabwe’s advantage at halftime.
The pattern remained similar after the restart, with Egypt pressing higher and moving the ball with greater urgency. Marmoush again went close in the 54th minute, racing onto a through ball inside the area and firing low towards the left post, only for Arubi to deny him with a sharp save.
The breakthrough finally arrived just after the hour mark. Marmoush, who had been Egypt’s most consistent attacking outlet, found space in the box and produced a clinical finish that flashed just under the crossbar, leaving Arubi with no chance and restoring parity.
With momentum firmly on their side, Egypt pushed for a winner. Mostafa Mohamed missed a clear opportunity on 69 minutes, failing to direct his header on target from Zizo’s accurate cross, while Zizo himself later wasted a similar chance by heading over from Mohamed Hamdy’s delivery. Arubi was again called into action on 77 minutes, producing an excellent save to keep out Ibrahim Adel’s effort as pressure mounted.
Zimbabwe offered little going forward in the second half, though Tawanda Chirewa briefly threatened with a speculative long-range effort on 85 minutes that drifted over the bar.
Just as the contest appeared destined for a draw, Salah delivered the decisive moment. Largely subdued for much of the match, the Liverpool forward timed his run perfectly to meet a pass inside the area and drilled a low shot inside the right post in stoppage time, underlining his ability to influence games at critical moments.
Egypt will look to build on this result when they face South Africa on 26 December, while Zimbabwe will seek a response against COSAFA rivals Angola later the same day.
Scoreline: Egypt (0) 2 — Marmoush 63’, Salah 90+1’ Zimbabwe (1) 1 — Dube 20’
Teams: Egypt: M. El Shenawy, M. Hany, H. Abdelmaguid, Y. Ibrahim, M. Hamdy (A. Fatouh 82’), M. Attia (I. Adel 66’), H. Fathy, M. Salah, E. Ashour (M. Mohamed 34’), Trezeguet (Zizo 67’), O. Marmoush.
Zimbabwe: W. Arubi, G. Murwira, M. Garananga, G. Takwara, T. Hadebe, M. Nakamba, E. Jalai (T. Maswanhise 88’), J. Fabisch, P. Dube (T. Chirewa 72’), D. Msendami (P. Padera 72’), W. Navaya (M. Bonne 46’).
