Mohamed Salah, the captain of Egypt, had to leave the game due to a hamstring injury. Despite this, his team managed to equalize twice and secure a 2-2 draw against Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Egypt and Liverpool supporters are anxiously awaiting news about the severity of the issue that caused the 31-year-old player to leave the field during the final minute of the first half of an exciting Group B match.
Salah sadly dropped to the ground, clearly suffering from a hamstring injury. He received brief medical attention from Egypt’s staff before giving the captain’s armband to Ahmed Hegazi and being substituted for Mostafa Fathi.
Shortly after, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus added insult to injury by scoring a brilliant goal. He skillfully evaded three defenders before blasting a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Salah, who secured a tie for Egypt with a last-minute goal from a penalty kick in their initial group match against Mozambique, had previously engaged in a heated argument with referee Pierre Atcho over a play where Omar Marmoush fell in the penalty area. He seemed to be requesting a penalty despite the referee awarding a free kick against Marmoush, and he may have been lucky to avoid a yellow card for his intense objections.
After Salah was injured, Egypt had a strong start in the second half and almost scored a goal in the 51st minute, but it was disallowed for being offside. Then, Marmoush, who had been playing well, was given an opportunity to tie the game. He took advantage of a terrible backpass from Iñaki Williams and coolly dribbled past goalkeeper Richard Ofori before scoring from a tight angle into an open net.
The balance was short-lived, as Kudus received a pass from Denis Odoi in the penalty area and scored with a left-footed shot that deflected off Mohamed Abdelmonem and past goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
The fast-paced play continued without any signs of fatigue as Egypt scored their second equalizer just three minutes later. Once again, Ghana’s mistakes led to their downfall as Osman Bukari lost possession to Trézéguet on the right side of their own area. Trézéguet then raced to the end line and passed the ball back to Mostafa Mohamed, who poked it into the goal.
Emilio Nsue, a former full-back for Middlesbrough and Birmingham, led Equatorial Guinea to a 4-2 victory over Guinea-Bissau in the Africa Cup of Nations. Nsue, now 34 years old, not only captained his national team but also scored a hat-trick, the first in an Afcon game since 2008. After a surprising 1-1 draw against Nigeria on Sunday, the Elephants now have four points from their first two matches in Group A.
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 then passed the ball over the defense to Nsue, who ran towards the goal and successfully scored, eluding Djoco.
After losing their first game to Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau scored a goal in the 37th minute when Mauro Rodrigues passed the ball into the net and defender Esteban accidentally redirected it in. Shortly after, they were given a penalty when Franculino Dju was seemingly fouled by Saul Coco, but the VAR review changed the call.
In the beginning of the second half, another error resulted in Equatorial Guinea gaining 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 successfully scored at the far post. Nsue, who has played over 100 games in the Championship from 2014 to 2018, completed his hat-trick in the 60th minute by getting past Djoco. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but after a tense wait, it was eventually allowed by VAR.
Thus, Nsue became the first player in 16 years to accomplish this feat, following in the footsteps of Morocco’s Soufiane Alloudi. He now joins a prestigious group of Afcon hat-trick scorers, such as Samuel Eto’o, Hossam Hassan, and Benni McCarthy. In the final moments of the game, Guinea-Bissau’s Ze Turbo also scored a goal.
Nigeria clinched a 1-0 win over Ivory Coast with a penalty kick from William Troost-Ekong.
The captain of Nigeria scored a goal from a penalty kick in the beginning 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 multiple opportunities, Ivory Coast failed to convert and ultimately suffered a loss after Ola Aina was found guilty of fouling Victor Osimhen in the penalty area following a VAR review.
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
