Egypt, seven-time AFCON champions, dominated early play and pinned Zimbabwe back in their own half. Despite the pressure, it was Zimbabwe who struck first through Prince Dube in the 20th minute.

Dube took advantage of space inside the box and calmly placed his shot into the bottom left corner, stunning the favorites and giving Zimbabwe a surprise lead.

Egypt kept pushing forward and created several chances, but struggled to convert. Zimbabwe nearly doubled its lead when a fast move led to a close-range effort that goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy managed to collect just in time.

The breakthrough for Egypt finally came in the 64th minute. Omar Marmoush collected a long pass on the left, cut inside, and fired a powerful shot from a tight angle to level the score.

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As the match entered its final moments, Egypt continued to press. Substitute Ahmed Zizo missed two clear chances, keeping the game on edge until the very end.

In the 91st minute, Salah delivered when it mattered most. He controlled the ball under pressure and calmly steered it home to complete the comeback and secure all three points.

The goal marked Salah’s first strike since early last month and ended Egypt’s run of six consecutive draws in recent AFCON tournaments.

Salah entered the tournament under scrutiny after being benched in recent club matches, and looked quiet for much of the game. However, his late goal silenced critics and lifted Egypt to the top of Group B alongside South Africa.

Egypt will next face South Africa in Agadir, while Zimbabwe takes on Angola in their upcoming group fixture.