AFCON 2023: Egypt coach sweats on Salah after forward limps off in draw with Ghana

Egypt coach Rui Vitoria expressed cautious optimism over Mohamed Salah's injury after the Liverpool star was forced off during their 2-2 AFCON draw with Ghana.

Salah's departure late in the first half dealt a blow to Egypt's hopes. He clutched his leg off the ball before signalling he couldn't continue, handing the captain's armband to Ahmed Hegazi and leaving the scene dejectedly.

Watching from the sidelines, Salah witnessed Mohammed Kudus give Ghana the lead before halftime, while Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed netted twice for Egypt after Kudus restored Ghana's advantage.

This leaves Egypt with two points from two games, needing a win against Cape Verde in their final Group B match to avoid an early exit. Cape Verde can secure their knockout stage berth with a win over Mozambique today.

While Salah avoided reporters in the mixed zone, Vitoria offered a somewhat encouraging update. "I hope it's not a big problem," he stated in the post-match press conference.

"But it was a problem in the first-half, because we lost one time to make a substitution. In the second-half we only had two moments to make substitutions."

Regarding the injury's severity, Vitoria acknowledged the uncertainty. "Now I don't know because it's [too] early to see something. I think it's not dangerous, but let's see if Salah recovers."