The seven-time champions were made to toil at the Grande Stade d’Agadir after the "Warriors" of Zimbabwe threatened to cause the first major upset of the tournament.
A First-Half Shock
Despite Egypt dominating possession from the opening whistle, it was Zimbabwe who struck first against the run of play. In the 20th minute, Prince Dube capitalized on a defensive lapse, latching onto an Emmanuel Jalai cross and producing a clinical turn and finish that left veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy stranded.
The underdogs nearly doubled their lead just five minutes later when a goal-mouth scramble saw Washington Navaya nearly bundle the ball over the line, but Egypt managed to survive the scare and head into the interval a goal down.
The Premier League Fightback
Egypt emerged for the second half with renewed intensity, led by their Premier League stars. The pressure finally told in the 64th minute when Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush—who was named Man of the Match—embarked on a brilliant solo run down the left flank. Marmoush cut inside his marker before firing a powerful, unstoppable shot into the roof of the net to restore parity.
As the clock ticked toward full-time, Zimbabwe’s veteran goalkeeper Washington Arubi produced a string of world-class saves, denying substitute Ahmed "Zizo" Sayed twice and keeping the scores level.
Salah’s Moment of Magic
With the game deep into three minutes of stoppage time and a draw looking inevitable, Mohamed Salah took center stage. The Liverpool talisman, who had been frustrated for much of the night by tight marking, controlled a lofted ball inside the box, held off his defender, and drilled a low, left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
The goal sparked wild celebrations among the Egyptian coaching staff and fans, ending the Pharaohs' streak of six consecutive draws in previous AFCON group stage matches.
Group B Outlook
The victory moves Egypt level on three points with South Africa, who earlier defeated Angola 2-1 in Marrakech. Zimbabwe, despite their heroic defensive display, remain bottom of the group alongside Angola.
Egypt will now turn their attention to a heavyweight clash against South Africa on Boxing Day, while Zimbabwe will look to bounce back against Angola on Friday.