Pharoahs target Afcon title number eight
Group B Egypt v Mozambique, Today, 19.00.
Last appearance: Final
Previous appearances (26): 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023
Best performance: Winners 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010
Adding an eighth title to their impressive collection is the target of the Pharoahs in Ivory Coast.
Spearheading that onslaught is Mo Salah, the 31-year-old who is on a quest to quench the thirst for the only sweet taste of success he has not savoured.
Missing from the irrepressible Salah’s impressive collection of trophies for Liverpool is the coveted title which he tearfully lost to his then teammate Sadio
Mane at the last edition in Cameroon. While in Egypt all eyes will be on Salah to reproduce his rich vein of goalscoring and creating magic for his country, coach Rui Vitoria insists his side is not a one man show.
“We are in a stage in which we should exert all our effort to win that Cup. Our main target is to win the Africa Cup of Nations title,” the Portuguese coach said in the prematch press conference yesterday.
It is a sentiment shared by winger Mahmoud Hassan. “It is a difficult group. It is not easy. All the African teams are strong and have very good players. We will play all the matches as finals and see what they look like. We came here aiming for a new title. Since our arrival, the entire team has only one goal, to be crowned champions,” the player for Turkish side Trabzonspor told Caf Online.
Being crowned continental champions is a box Salah would not like to have unticked when he retires, especially after twice having fallen at the final hurdle. Not that retirement is a thought the fit-as-a-fiddle Salah is entertaining.
Next up for Egypt will be Ghana on Thursday, and they will complete their group commitments with a clash against Cape Verde on January 22.