AFCON
I Will Win AFCON Soon – Mo Salah Declares Ahead Of Cape Verde Clash On Monday
Egypt star player, Mohamed Salah, has expressed hope of winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soon.
Not ruling out the chances of that happening soon, Salah noted that Egypt must improve its performance to win the AFCON this year.
Sportxparte understands that the Liverpool forward is currently nursing an injury he sustained from Egypt’s last match against Ghana.
Prior to Egypt’s crucial final group match against Cape Verde on Monday, Mo Salah engaged in a conversation with journalists.
It is imperative for Egypt to secure a victory in order to ensure their qualification for the last 16. However, Salah will not be available for the game in Abidjan as he continues to recuperate from a hamstring injury sustained during the team’s 2-2 draw with Ghana, which resulted in his substitution during the first half.
“I would love to win it, absolutely,” the Egyptian said when asked what it would mean to win the AFCON to add to the medals he has picked up at club level with Liverpool.
Salah added: “I have won everything possible, but this one not yet. It will happen somehow; that is what I believe, and whatever I believe I achieve, so sooner or later, it will happen.”
Salah’s first appearance for Egypt was in 2011, following their victory in the most recent of their seven Cup of Nations championships. He participated in the teams that were defeated in the finals in Gabon in 2017 and in the previous edition in Cameroon two years ago. Now, he is resolute in his determination to surpass those achievements in the upcoming tournament.
“Everybody knows what it means to any player to win an Africa Cup,” the 31-year-old said.
He added: “We were unlucky at the last one and also in Gabon. The players are very motivated to win the tournament. We all want to win it.”
Nevertheless, Rui Vitoria’s squad has yet to impress in Ivory Coast. In their initial game, they had to rely on Salah’s injury-time penalty to secure a 2-2 draw against Mozambique. Furthermore, they had to overcome deficits twice to salvage a draw against Ghana after Salah’s departure.
If Egypt manages to defeat Cape Verde, who have already secured the top spot in Group B, they will progress to a last-16 match in San-Pedro on January 28.
Unfortunately, Salah will not be available for that game either. It is anticipated that he will only return for a potential quarter-final match on February 2 or 3, provided Egypt reaches that stage.
“At the end of the day we are not doing great at the moment but we have a fantastic team and a great coach, so we just need to stay focused,” Salah said.
“I believe that with hard work everything is possible, so we just need to win one game to qualify and we go from there.”
Of his own fitness, he added: “My injury is still there but the most important thing now is to speak about the game.
“We are very positive, we have great players and a great team, and we just need to fight and see what will happen.”
Salah’s place in the starting line-up could be taken by Mostafa Fathi of Cairo club Pyramids, who came on for him against Ghana.
