Egypt 2 – 1 Zimbabwe: AFCON Group B (December 22, 2025)

The Egypt national team began their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign with a 2–1 victory over Zimbabwe at the Stade Adrar in Morocco. Zimbabwe took an unexpected lead in the first half, scoring in the 45th minute through Prince Dube. At the halftime interval, Zimbabwe led 1–0 despite having only 34% of the ball possession. Egypt had seven shots in the first half but failed to put any of them in the back of the net. The statistics showed that Egypt's passing was accurate (85%), but they struggled to break through Zimbabwe’s compact 4-4-2 defensive block.

The second half saw a change in Egypt’s offensive pressure. Omar Marmoush equalized for the "Pharaohs" in the 75th minute after an assist from Mostafa Mohamed. In the 91st minute of stoppage time, Mohamed Salah scored the winning goal to secure the three points. Official match data indicates that Egypt finished the game with 71% possession and 21 total shots, 9 of which were on target. Zimbabwe finished with 4 shots in total and 2 on target.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah was the highest-rated player of the match with a score of 8.26. The referee, Issa Sy from Senegal, issued four yellow cards during the game—three to Zimbabwe and one to Egypt. This win puts Egypt at the top of Group B as they seek their eighth continental title.