Zimbabwe Warriors head coach Marian Marinica has heaped praise on Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool forward scored a decisive late goal to hand Egypt a 2–1 victory in their Africa Cup of Nations opener on Monday night.
Salah struck in stoppage time to break Zimbabwean resistance and secure all three points for the Pharaohs to complete a come from behind win in a tightly contested Group match, despite a spirited performance from the Warriors.
The Africa Cup of Nations encounter in Agadir saw Zimbabwe containing their much fancied opponents for large spells, with the Warriors level at 1–1 before Salah produced a moment of individual brilliance to settle the contest.
The goal underlined the influence of the Egyptian captain, who stepped up when it mattered most to guide his side to victory.
Speaking after the match, Marinica acknowledged the difficulty of containing the Liverpool star, insisting his global reputation and market value are well deserved.
“He’s a player worth 100 million for a reason because he’s an exceptional player, a star player,” Marinica said.
“No player in the world can mark him. He’s a fantastic player.”
The Zimbabwean coach noted that while his side executed their game plan well, stopping a player of Salah’s calibre proved decisive in the end.
Marinica also highlighted the tactical challenges of facing elite players at international tournaments.
“If you look at him, he’s one of the top stars. How many players will you need to mark him, and what will you do with the others?” he said.
“We try to have a game plan as a team rather than focusing on the individual.”
Despite his match-winning performance, Salah opted not to speak to the media following the final whistle.
Zimbabwe will now turn their attention to their remaining group fixtures against Angola and South Africa, encouraged by a performance that showed resilience, organisation and belief against one of Africa’s strongest sides.