2019 Africa Cup of Nations: Fit and firing Salah carries hopes of hosts Egypt
Mohamed Salah put right Champions League wrongs with Liverpool last month and he will look to do the same with Egypt at the 2019 AFCON.
Published : Jun 19, 2019 15:09 IST
Ahead of Liverpool's Champions League final victory over Tottenham, Mohamed Salah glanced at a photograph to draw up pain and fuel his already burning desire
"I looked at the picture from last year before the game," he said, referring to the Reds' 2018 defeat to Real Madrid in Kiev, where a controversial tangle with Sergio Ramos left Salah stricken inside half an hour.
"I was very disappointed that I got injured and went off and we lost the game. It was something to motivate me to win. I just looked at it one time and said, 'Okay, let's go'."
Moments later, the back-to-back Premier League Golden Boot winner was dispatching an early penalty and sending Liverpool on its way to a sixth triumph in Europe's top competition.
The bad news for Egypt's rival at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, as Salah looks to add to another history of success, is the same stinging motivation remains.
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Still feeling the effects of his shoulder injury, Salah was a shadow of the attacker that ransacked the best defences in Europe at the World Cup in Russia last year. He still scored twice but the Pharaohs bowed out at the group stage after three straight defeats.
Hector Cuper paid with his job and experienced Mexican head coach Javier Aguirre has since led Egypt to six wins and a draw from his eight matches at the helm, with 20 goals in that time.
A settled and experienced squad featuring the likes of captain Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi and Mohamed Elneny provide a solid foundation for Salah's brilliance, and the tournament host is worthy of it favourites' tag as lines up in Group A alongside DR Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe – its opponents in Friday's tournament opener.
Cameroon beat Egypt in the 2017 final but its build-up has not been ideal.
Prize money for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt:
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Stripped of the hosting rights, head coach Clarence Seedorf's initial decision to snub China-based players led to Benjamin Moukandjo's international retirement amid an unconvincing qualification campaign. It lines up in a tricky Group F with Benin, Guinea-Bissau and fellow heavyweights Ghana.
As such, former Indomitable Lions defender Lauren believes another nation with a strong recent pedigree in the tournament could prove Egypt's toughest obstacle in pursuit of an eighth continental crown.
"Egypt are one of the favourites but I would go for Nigeria," he told Omnisport . "I saw Nigeria in the World Cup, a very young team with a lot of quality and a young squad.
"We will see them progress and they are one of the favourites together with Egypt, Cameroon and Senegal."
Since being denied a knockout place by Argentina in heart-breaking fashion in Russia, Nigeria has not always found consistency under Gernot Rohr but is the only side to have beaten Egypt during the intervening period.
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Wilfred Ndidi and John Obi Mikel provide prowess and experience in midfield, while a favourable Group B draw alongside Guinea, Madagascar and Burundi should give Ahmed Musa and his attacking colleagues a chance to find their groove.
Group D looks devilishly tough on paper, with two-time winner Herve Renard leading a stylish Morocco boasting Ajax star Hakim Ziyech. A run of three consecutive defeats heading into the tournament has dampened expectations – a slump they must halt in the opener against Namibia with Ivory Coast and South Africa lying in wait.
A North African staging could work in favour of Tunisia – top seeds in Group E where it faces Mali, Mauritania and Angola, as well as benefiting Algeria.
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Djamel Belmadi's Desert Foxes are unbeaten in six and play Kenya and Tanzania either side of a mouth-watering Group C showdown with Senegal, whose hopes rest on the defensive might of Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and the effervescent Sadio Mane in attack.
Nevertheless, most eyes will remain trained on another brilliant Liverpool forward and his bid fully right the wrongs of 12 months ago.