Now 33, and having lost in two previous finals, Salah will hope that playing on North African soil in Morocco will aid his chances of lifting the trophy.
He was at the heart of most of Egypt’s best work in the first half, floating two enticing crosses to the far post that Trezeguet and Emam Ashour failed to convert, with Trezeguet’s header palmed on to the underside of the bar by Arubi.
Marmoush was also heavily involved, stinging Arubi’s fingers with a long-range rocket that needed tipping over before blazing an inviting opportunity too high from the edge of the area.
But the opening period’s standout moment came in the 20th minute when Dube did brilliantly to control a cross from the right while simultaneously spinning inside the box, side-footing home with his left foot once the rangy midfielder found himself facing goal.
In an incredibly open encounter, Zimbabwe spent much of their time mounting a rearguard action as the Premier League pairing of Marmoush and Salah helped carve out chance after chance.
The Warriors and their fans must have been thinking about the possibility of a first-ever Afcon clean sheet before Marmoush finally found the target, driving in from the left flank and smashing the ball high into the roof of the net from a tight angle with just over an hour gone.
While frontman Macauley Bonne, who plays in England’s eighth tier for Maldon & Tiptree, was left to plough a lone furrow up top for Zimbabwe, Egypt continued to create openings, with Zizo and Salah both guilty of passing up opportunities.
But with the atmosphere inside the stadium seeming to dip in acceptance of a draw, Salah showed the awareness to find himself in the right place and the strength to hold off his man inside the area, poking home inside Arubi’s left post a minute into stoppage time.
It was a cruel reward for Zimbabwe’s heroic efforts, but Salah and Egypt’s fans will not care if it is the first act of a story that ultimately leads to Afcon glory in Rabat next month.
