Egypt may be record seven-time AFCON champions but their talismanic forward has never lifted the trophy, having been runners-up on two occasions in 2017 and 2022.

Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera lauded Salah’s crucial late intervention with the headline: “Mohamed Salah puts Liverpool controversy behind him with dramatic winner against Zimbabwe in their AFCON opener.”

However, the match report also observed that Salah looked short of sharpness for extended periods – potentially due to a shortage of recent playing time.

“Salah had come into the tournament in Morocco under the spotlight following a fiery outburst after being dropped by the Premier League champions and struggled to find his rhythm for most of the match,” they said.

However, the winger stepped up ‘when it counted’ to propel his nation to the top of Group B.

Spanish publication AS proclaimed ‘Salah is still the pharaoh’ after the Egyptian captain struck in added time.

They said: “In the opening minutes, Salah showed that he had put his controversy at Liverpool behind him and was committed to the team.”

AS also lauded his international team-mate Omar Marmoush, labelling him as a ‘luxury partner’ for the ‘undisputed leader’ Salah.

German newspaper Bild described the match as: “Salah madness at the African Cup of Nations.”

They said it was filled with ‘pure drama thanks to superstar Salah’. It was billed as ‘the Salah show’ with additional commendation given to fellow countryman Marmoush for bringing the Pharaohs back into contention.

Egypt’s most popular newspaper provided a more balanced critique, observing that Salah appeared sluggish for the majority of the match.

The paper reported: “The Liverpool forward had little influence for much of the contest but proved decisive at the death, converting from close range to earn the Pharaohs a hard-fought three points.”