Mohamed Salah, the captain of Egypt, had to leave the game due to a hamstring injury. Despite this setback, his team managed to overcome two deficits and tie the game 2-2 against Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both Egypt and Liverpool supporters are on edge as they await news on the severity of the issue that caused the 31-year-old to exit the game during the final minute of the first half of an exciting Group B match.
Salah sank to the ground in despair, appearing to have injured his hamstring. Egypt’s medical team briefly tended to him before he passed the captain’s armband to Ahmed Hegazi and was substituted by Mostafa Fathi.
Shortly after, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus added to the frustration by scoring a spectacular goal. He skillfully evaded three defenders before firing a powerful left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
In their opening group match, Salah scored a last-minute equalizer for Egypt with a penalty kick, resulting in a 2-2 draw against Mozambique. Before this, he had a heated argument with referee Pierre Atcho over a penalty call when Omar Marmoush fell in the box. Despite a free kick being awarded against Marmoush, Salah seemed to be pleading for a penalty and was possibly lucky not to receive a yellow card for his intense objections.
After Salah was injured, Egypt began the second half strongly and nearly scored a goal in the 51st minute, but it was ruled offside. However, Marmoush, who had been playing impressively, was given the opportunity to tie the game. He took advantage of a terrible pass from Iñaki Williams and skillfully maneuvered around goalkeeper Richard Ofori before scoring into an open net from a difficult angle.
The tie was quickly broken when Kudus received a pass from Denis Odoi in the box and took a left-footed shot that took a slight deflection off Mohamed Abdelmonem before finding the back of the net, leaving goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy helpless.
The intense pace continued without pause as Egypt tied the score for the second time only three minutes later. Ghana was once again responsible for their own downfall. Trézéguet stole the ball from Osman Bukari on the right side of the field and made a run towards the goal line. He then crossed the ball back to Mostafa Mohamed, who quickly tapped it into the net.
Emilio Nsue, who previously played for Middlesbrough and Birmingham, scored three goals as Equatorial Guinea secured a 4-2 victory against Guinea-Bissau in the Africa Cup of Nations. Nsue, who is currently 34 years old and serves as captain and lead striker for his national team, became the first player to score a hat-trick at the Afcon since 2008. Following their unexpected 1-1 draw with Nigeria on Sunday, the Elephants now have four points in Group A after their first two matches.
In the 21st minute, the first goal was scored after Guinea-Bissau’s goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco made a mistake in clearing the ball. Pablo Ganet passed the ball over the defense to Nsue, who ran towards the goal and successfully scored, beating Djoco.
Guinea-Bissau, beaten by hosts Ivory Coast in their opening match, equalised after 37 minutes when Mauro Rodrigues sent a low cross into the box and defender Esteban turned the ball into his own net. Moments later Guinea-Bissau were awarded a penalty after Saul Coco appeared to bring down Franculino Dju in the area, but the decision was overturned by VAR.
Unfortunately, another error at the beginning of the second half resulted in Equatorial Guinea taking the lead once more. Sori Mané was unable to handle a long pass, allowing Josete Miranda to break away and score.
In the 51st minute, the advantage was increased when Djoco failed to stop Basilio Ndong’s cross and Nsue scored at the far post. Nsue, who had over 100 appearances in the Championship from 2014 to 2018, completed a hat-trick in the 60th minute after getting past Djoco. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but was ultimately awarded by VAR after a tense wait.
As a result, Nsue became the first player in 16 years to accomplish this feat, following in the footsteps of Morocco’s Soufiane Alloudi, and joining a distinguished group of Afcon players who have scored hat-tricks, such as Samuel Eto’o, Hossam Hassan, and Benni McCarthy. In the final moments of the game, Ze Turbo scored another goal for Guinea-Bissau.
Nigeria secured a 1-0 win over Ivory Coast thanks to a penalty from William Troost-Ekong.
The captain of Nigeria scored a penalty at the start of the second half in Abidjan, leading the Super Eagles to their first win of the tournament and surpassing the Ivory Coast in Group A. Despite having many opportunities, the Ivory Coast team missed their chances and ended up losing after a VAR review determined that Ola Aina committed a foul on Victor Osimhen in the penalty area.
The outcome resulted in Nigeria tying with Equatorial Guinea at four points in the group, while Ivory Coast has three points with one game remaining.
Source: theguardian.com
