Despite his injury and Egypt’s unconvincing start to the Africa Cup of Nations, Mohamed Salah is convinced he will win the tournament “sooner or later”.
The two-time African Player of the Year has never won the Africa Cup, he came close in the last edition and in 2017, but Egypt lost in the final each time. “I’ve won everything possible, but this is the one I haven’t won yet,” the Liverpool star said on Sunday. “It will happen one way or another. That’s what I believe. And what I believe, I realize. So it will happen. It will happen sooner or later.”
To ensure that Egypt qualifies for the elimination phase of the current edition in Ivory Coast, the “Pharaohs” will first have to beat Cape Verde, winner of Group B, and this without Salah, hurt. The striker injured his hamstring during Egypt’s 2-2 draw against Ghana and is expected to be out for two matches.
“We are not in great shape at the moment, but we are a fantastic team, we have a great coach. So we have to stay focused, have a good vision and stay positive. And I believe that with work, everything will be possible,” Salah said.
Egypt have won more African Cup titles than any other country, but Salah said the team was determined to extend their record to eight trophies.
“Everyone knows what it means for a player to win the Africa Cup. We are always proud to wear this jersey,” Salah said. “We were unlucky in the last edition, that of Gabon (in 2017) too, a little unlucky. The players are very motivated to win the tournament. We all want to win it.”
Egypt aren’t the only pre-tournament favorites struggling to reach the knockout stage. In Group B, Ghana need a victory against Mozambique to continue their hopes of qualifying. The top two finishers in each group qualify for the round of 16, while the top four third-place finishers in each group also qualify.
Host country Ivory Coast and Nigeria have tough matches to play this Monday, against Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau respectively, in Group A. Cameroon, Algeria and Tunisia are among the potential candidates for the title who encounter difficulties.
“It’s really complicated,” said Salah, who pointed out that improving standards made matches more unpredictable. “African football is improving a lot. We saw it in the World Cup, Morocco went very far and all of Africa was behind them. So I think African football is improving a lot.”