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Egypt forwards Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush celebrate during the Africa Cup of Nations opener against Zimbabwe
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was Egypt’s hero in its first game at AFCON as the 33-year-old netted a stoppage-time winner to ensure his country made a winning start in Morocco.
Egypt had fallen behind before the Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush leveled things up with around a third of the match still to play. Salah thenĀ stepped up in the 91st minuteĀ to edge Egypt over the line.
BothĀ Premier LeagueĀ stars played well in the game, and Egypt was deserving of the victory. It hadĀ almost 10 times as many expected goalsĀ and took 35 shots to Zimbabwe’s eight.
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It wasĀ Salah’sĀ quality and composure that got Egypt over the line, though. TheĀ LiverpoolĀ ace made the telling difference, putting his country in a strong position to qualify, as it would expect to as one of the favorites to go all the way.
While Salah scored the winner, he wasn’t named the official Player of the Match. That honor was given to Marmoush instead.
“The win is more important than the prize,” theĀ Manchester CityĀ attacker told BeIN Sports after the game. “We will now focus on the match against South Africa.”
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Mohamed Salah scored the winner for Egypt in the team’s opening AFCON game against Zimbabwe(Image: Getty Images)
Egypt will play South Africa on Friday (December 26th) and a win would send it through to the knockout phase. It then has Angola on Monday (December 29th).
The final is on January 18th, so Salah could be absent for Liverpool until then if Egypt goes all the way. In that period, the Reds will play Wolves, Leeds, Fulham, Arsenal, Barnsley (FA Cup) and Burnley.
Before departing for the tournament, of course, Salah made headlines with hisĀ public outburst against LiverpoolĀ and his club head coach, Arne Slot.
While he came back into the team andĀ played well against Brighton, it doesn’t feel like that situation is completely over. Salah and the Liverpool boss will be asked about their relationship again when the time comes for him to return to Merseyside.
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“I said last week, actions speak louder than words,” Slot said ahead ofĀ Liverpool beating Tottenham. “We moved on, he was in the squad, and he was the first substitution I made.
“Now heās at the AFCON, playing big games for himself and also for his country, so I think itās fair to them that all the focus is, for him, over there. But definitely also for us, because we are going to play some very important games.
“There should not be any distractions from me saying anything about his time here at Liverpool, because as I said, weāve moved on after the Leeds interview, and he played against Brighton.
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“Now heās there, so itās fair for the country and for him and also for us to talk, for us, about Tottenham and other games, and for them to be fully focused on their tournament.”
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Arsenal injury, suspension list and return dates vs. Portsmouth: Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera latest
ArsenalĀ will begin their bid to win the FA Cup for the 15th time in their history when they travel to Fratton Park for Sunday’s meeting with Championship strugglersĀ Portsmouth.
The Gunners missed the chance to further extend their six-point lead at the top of theĀ Premier League tableĀ in Thursday’s underwhelmingĀ goalless draw against LiverpoolĀ at the Emirates Stadium.
While their five-game winning league run came to an end,Ā Mikel ArtetaĀ will be pleased with the fact that his side are now unbeaten in seven competitive matches ahead of Sunday’s cup tie and Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea.
Here,Ā Sports MoleĀ rounds up all of Arsenal’s latest injury and suspension news ahead of the clash with Portsmouth, who are languishing in 21st spot in theĀ Championship standings.
Piero Hincapie
Status:Ā Major doubt
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date:Ā January 11 (vs. Portsmouth)
Hincapie was forced off with what appeared to be a muscle problem in the 57th minute of Thursday’s draw with Liverpool. Arteta now faces a nervous wait to discover the full extent of the defender’s injury.
Kai Havertz
Status:Ā Minor doubt
Type of injury: Match fitness
Possible return date:Ā January 11 (vs. Portsmouth)
Havertz has recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of action for months. However, he has been left out of Arsenal’s last two matchday squads as he continues to build up his fitness. There is a possibility that the forward could make his first appearance since August in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
Riccardo Calafiori
Status:Ā Out
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date:Ā January 14 (vs. Chelsea)
Calafiori has sat out Arsenal’s last four matches with a muscle injury. The defender is making progress in his recovery, but he is not expected to be ready for the upcoming trip to the south coast.
Cristhian Mosquera
Status:Ā Out
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date:Ā January 14 (vs. Chelsea)
Like Calafiori, Mosquera is closing in on a return to action after missing over a month of action due to an ankle injury. However, the former Valencia defender will not be available for selection this weekend.
Max Dowman
Status:Ā Out
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date:Ā Unknown
Max Dowman is likely to be out until February after sustaining an ankle problem while playing for Arsenal Under-21s in last month’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Manchester United.
ARSENAL’S SUSPENSION LIST
Arsenal have no players suspended for the third-round tie.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
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Whether or not the right players are out there remains to be seen, but with Arteta enduring several injury blows already this season – particularly in defence – the manager will be keeping a close eye on potential targets.
The Gunners splashed the cash in the summer, bringing in the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera to the Emirates Stadium – so a loan deal might favour the club
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There could also be high-profile exits, both loans and permanent deals, with young midfield talent Ethan Nwaneri linked with an exit. Other youngsters could also make loan moves to get a taste of first-team football.
With that said, football.london takes a closer look at all the moves completed by Arsenal so far this January.
Read the latest information on injuries, suspensions and availability in the Liverpool men’s squad.
āāāā
Injuries
Hugo Ekitike
Ekitike was unavailable for the clash with Fulham because of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Arne Slot was asked whether he will be fit for the game at Arsenal on January 8.
Slot on January 7: “He has not trained with us until now and letās see if he can today.
“Iāve said, I think, two or three days ago when we played Fulham that he is not going to be out for long but because games come so fast he is in between maybe training with the team or it would take him one or two days extra.”
Wataru Endo
The midfielder has been out of action with an ankle injury since appearing in the 3-3 draw at Leeds United on December 6.
Alexander Isak
Isak is facing a spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture on December 22.
He sustained the issue while scoring against Tottenham Hotspur two days prior.
Slot on December 23: “It’s going to be a long injury. For a couple of months. That’s a big, big, big disappointment for him and as a result of that of course also for us.”
Slot did also confirm he is confident Isak will be able to play again during the 2025-26 season.
Giovanni Leoni
The defender is amid a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the end of his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Slot on September 26: “He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for a year. Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game… it’s very hard to take the positive side.
“There’s never a positive side ā but you always try to look at a positive side and that is that he is still so young, so he has so many years still to go after he recovers from a terrible injury like that.”
Availability
Mohamed Salah
After featuring off the bench versus Brighton on December 13, the forward is now with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah scored in the group games against Zimbabwe and South Africa to help his country reach the last 16. They are next in action on January 5.
Suspensions
Conor Bradley
Bradley is one yellow card away from receiving a one-match suspension in the Champions League.
The Reds travel to Marseille on January 21 for matchday seven of the league phase and then host Qarabag a week later.
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