Mohamed Salah limped off the pitch in the first half as Egypt had to settle for a two-all draw against a resurgent Ghana, in their second match of Group B’s Africa Cup of Nation match played in the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium in front of 20,000 fans.
The Pharaohs and Liverpool have been dealt a potential blow as the 31 year-old was seen holding the back of his left thigh with an apparent hamstring injury. The influential midfield went down off the ball, which saw him replaced after receiving treatment right before half-time.
It would go from bad to worse for the Pharaohs, as they conceded within minutes of him leaving the pitch, with Mohammed Kudus’ stunner put Ghana ahead.
In the 69th minute, Omar Marmoush levelled the game for the seven- time champions but their joy would be short lived as the Westham star grabbed his brace two minutes after the leveler from Egypt.
Mostafa Mohamed would get on the scoresheet three minutes later, with his leveler proving the last goal of the match.
Having failed to win their respective opening matches, the game was a must-win for either side; the draw leaves the teams in a precarious position with a qualification to the knockout rounds now in jeopardy.
Egypt will face Cape Verde in their final group match, while Ghana set their sights on Mozambique.
John Njuguna
