Salah & Co. Warned: ‘That Won’t Happen Against Bafana’

Photo by Ahmed Awaad/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A former Egypt star has sent a stern warning to the likes of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush ahead of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations clash against Bafana Bafana.

The seven-time African champions needed goals from Marmoush and Salah to rally from behind to defeat Zimbabwe after squandering a host of chances on Monday night.

Read: Egypt Star: ‘We Will Focus On South Africa’s Weaknesses’

Hazem Emam, who won AFCON in 1998, has warned the Pharaohs attackers that they won’t get same amount of openings against Hugo Broos’ side.

“In matches like these, they must give their all, and the players must be at their peak of concentration. It is not possible to wait for Salah to score the winning goal in the last seconds,” Emem told ON Sport.

“We had many opportunities, and the players must be more focused. We will not get all these opportunities in every match. In the next match against South Africa, we will not get all these opportunities.”

“There were moments of feeling a kind of mental laziness and believing that the competitor was weak, with an over-reliance on the idea that the competitor would not pose a threat. This feeling is more dangerous than any technical error, because it directly affects positioning and reaction speed.

“Such mistakes could cause real crises against stronger attacking teams, and the goal that the national team conceded, as well as the presence of two dangerous balls in the second half, served as a clear warning.”

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