Despite criticism of his technical level during Egypt's opening match against Zimbabwe in the Africa Cup of Nations, currently being held in Morocco, Egyptian star Mohamed Salah managed to redirect the focus to his decisive impact by scoring a winning goal in stoppage time. This granted the 'Pharaohs' three valuable points and saved head coach Hossam Hassan, who also faced a wave of criticism for his team's performance in the match.
That goal was enough to earn Mohamed Salah a well-deserved spot in the Team of the First Round of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) considered him a player capable of changing the course of the match in crucial moments, even though he had not shown his desired level before scoring the precious winner in the 90th minute.
The first round of the group stage was not just about point calculations but also became a platform for influential individual performances that made the difference in complex matches. This was reflected in CAF's selection, which revealed the Team of the Round, featuring a select group of players whose direct performance impacted their national teams' results.
The team featured a prominent Arab presence with four players, led by Mohamed Salah, alongside his compatriot Omar Marmoush, Algerian star Riyad Mahrez, and Tunisian Elias El Shaouri, reaffirming the strong Arab presence at the start of the continental tournament.
Here is the Team of the First Round of the African tournament:
Goalkeeper Jociony Fuku (Botswana)
Defense Semi Ajayi (Nigeria), Samuel Oto (Cameroon), Edmund Tabsoba (Burkina Faso)
Midfield Idrissa Gueye (Senegal), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Elias El Shaouri (Tunis), Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
Attack Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
