The Egyptian international star Mohamed Salah continued to write history in letters of gold, achieving an unprecedented individual achievement in the history of Egyptian football, after he led his national team to a dramatic and well-deserved victory over their Zimbabwean counterparts by two goals to one, in the match that brought them together on Monday evening as part of the opening round of the 2025 African Cup of Nations hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco.
Salah’s decisive goal came in the dying moments, specifically in the 90+1 minute, through a perfect shot from inside the penalty area, breaking the Zimbabwean defense and giving the “Pharaohs” their first three points in their journey towards regaining the absent continental title.
The scoring legend in 5 consecutive editions
According to the Egyptian Football Association, Mohamed Salah has become the first player in the history of the Egyptian national team to score in five consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. This remarkable scoring streak began in the 2017 edition in Gabon, continued through the 2019 edition in Egypt, the 2021 edition in Cameroon, the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast, and now the current edition in Morocco in 2025. With this goal, Salah has raised his tally to eight goals in 20 appearances for the national team in the African competition, cementing his status as one of the continent's greatest legends.
Egypt and the search for the eighth star
This achievement comes at a time when Egyptian sports fans are eagerly anticipating breaking the long-standing curse of absence from continental podiums. The Egyptian national team reigns supreme on the continent as the most decorated team with seven titles (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010). However, the current generation, led by Salah, has suffered from bad luck in recent years, reaching the final in both 2017 and 2021 but finishing as runners-up, thus increasing the pressure and the desire to secure an eighth title.
Brigadier General Hossam Hassan: The Spirit of Leadership and the Challenge of Training
This edition holds special significance with the presence of coach Hossam Hassan, the national team's all-time leading scorer and one of the most prominent figures to have graced African football. The veteran coach aims to instill his fighting spirit, which distinguished him as a player, in the current generation, aspiring to achieve the unique feat of winning the title as a coach, having already lifted it as a player on three previous occasions (1986, 1998, 2006). Analysts believe that combining Mohamed Salah's global experience with Hossam Hassan's leadership zeal could be the winning formula that restores the Pharaohs to their position of dominance on African soil, starting from Moroccan soil.
