Egypt, crowned with its seven CAN titles, enters the fray on Sunday against Mozambique. But despite a glorious past, the Pharaohs remain in bitter failures during the last editions of the African Cup of Nations. Symbol of this curse, captain and superstar Mohamed Salah, who won everything with Liverpool, but is still waiting for the selection. Until now ?
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Group B favorites? Without a doubt. Favorites for CAN 2024? A lot depends on Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian Pharaohs make their debut in the African Cup of Nations on Sunday January 14 against Mozambique at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.
“If Mohamed Salah is put in the best conditions, Egypt can wreak havoc. He is my number 1 favorite,” says François Pinet, consultant for France 24 during this CAN 2024.
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Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria, who is discovering the continent, seems to have achieved a great transformation: turning a solid and diligent team into a winning team. He built his team around star Salah, so he could finally unleash his talent.
In the fall, Egypt began qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with two victories, with four goals from the Liverpool detonator and three from Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan known as “Trezeguet”. With Mostafa Mohamed from Nantes, Egypt now has a forward-looking game. As proof, the 11 victories in the last 13 matches, with 31 goals scored in the process.
Pharaoh’s curse
To summarize: Mohamed Salah is no longer isolated and that could change everything in Egypt’s continental destiny.
Indeed, if Mohamed Salah has won everything with Liverpool, he collects disappointments with Egypt, with two lost CAN finals (2017 and 2022) and a failed 2022 World Cup play-off against Senegal. He who has already played 17 African Cup matches (6 goals) promises: “We will play each match like a final”.
The attacker’s curse begins with CAN-2017, in Gabon. While his team was heading towards an eighth title, leading 1-0 against Cameroon on a goal from Mohamed Elneny where Salah was the decisive passer, the Indomitable Lions turned things around in the second half (2-1).
The following year, while he was preparing to play his first World Cup, he was injured in the 2018 Champions League final, lost by Liverpool against Real Madrid (3-1). He missed the first match in Russia, and could not prevent Egypt’s exit from the group stage, after three defeats.
In 2019, the planets seem to be aligning. Salah, crowned in the Champions League with Liverpool, is playing the CAN at home. Of its seven titles, Egypt has won the African Cup three times out of four when it hosted it (1959, 1986 and 2006). But after a perfect first round, with three victories and two goals from Salah, the Pharaohs were humiliated in the round of 16 by South Africa (1-0).
Cruel penalties
In Cameroon in 2022, he took his team to the final, with two goals and a penalty shot transformed into the semi-final against the old Cameroonian rival (0-0, 3 tab to 1). But Salah stumbles again on the last step, beaten by Senegal on penalties (0-0, 4 tab to 2). Last shooter, he cannot even try his luck and sees Sadio Mané, his Liverpool teammate, convert the last shot on goal.
Ironically, the captain still fails against the same Senegal in the play-off for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, again on penalties (1-0/0-1, 3 tab to 1). This time, he can try his luck in the exercise, but misses his penalty…
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For the moment, no penalties in sight for Salah and his team, who face Mozambique in the preliminary round, Ghana in what promises to be the shock of Group B, and finally Cape Verde.
Barring disaster, never ruled out at the CAN, the Pharaohs should leave the group without too much trouble. Even if this is not really the wish of Jurgen Klopp, Salah’s coach at Liverpool, currently leader of the Premier League: “If I said that I wished him good luck, that would be lying. From a personal point of view , I would be happy if they were eliminated in the group stage, but it is surely impossible, they can go through and win (the CAN).” With such encouragement!
With AFP
