Egypt’s Omar Marmoush can be man to give Mohamed Salah a helping hand

10-Jan-2024 14:00:34 | Guardian

Eintracht Frankfurt forward hopes to deliver for the Pharaohs, who have struggled for goals at the Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt’s period of success during the late 2000s at the Africa Cup of Nations can be defined by forward-thinking attackers who seemed to only have one instruction on their mind when taking the pitch: go for goal. In 2006, the duo of Ahmed Hassan and Emad Moteab scored eight of Egypt’s 12 goals. Two years later the triumvirate of Hosny Abd Rabo, Mohamed Aboutrika and Amr Zaki netted four each. In 2010, it was Hassan again, alongside super-sub Gedo, who averaged a goal every 35 minutes.

The country now boasts their best-ever goalscorer in Mohamed Salah. But the mentality has changed somewhat and he has scored only six goals in three Afcon editions, two in each. Combining that with the fact that he is relied on as Egypt’s primary creator makes one thing abundantly clear: he needs help.