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Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored a dramatic 91st-minute winner as Egypt beat Zimbabwe 2-1 at the Africa Cup of Nations, prompting Manchester City striker Erling Haaland to send a message on Instagram.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has reached out to Mohamed Salah after he returned to goalscoring form.
The Liverpool superstar found the back of the net on Monday with a dramatic 91st-minute winner in Egypt's 2-1 Africa Cup of Nations triumph over Zimbabwe. The victory gave the Egyptians the ideal start to their campaign, as they battled back from a deficit to claim maximum points.
It marked Salah's first goal since early November, when he struck in Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League victory against Aston Villa. After the match, Salah maintained his usual custom of posting images featuring himself alongside fellow goalscorers on his Instagram.
READ MORE: Alexander Isak breaks silence in Liverpool message after injury heartbreakREAD MORE: Mohamed Salah's ex-Egypt teammate reveals what Liverpool star is really like off the pitchHe subsequently shared a photograph of himself with Manchester City's Omar Marmoush.
This prompted a response from Salah's Premier League counterpart and Marmoush's City colleague, Erling Haaland. The Norwegian commented: "Salam Brusjans" - meaning "peace brothers" - accompanied by a thumbs up emoji.
Salah linked up with the Egypt squad just days after delivering a shocking interview that cast uncertainty over his Liverpool future.
Despite being omitted from the Champions League squad, the winger did feature as a substitute against Brighton before departing for international commitments.
Prior to Egypt's opening fixture against Zimbabwe, Egypt boss Hossam Hassan has offered an encouraging assessment of the situation and Salah's current form this campaign.
"Whenever Salah's performances dip with his club, he regains his strength with the national team and becomes even better, whether by contributing goals or scoring himself," he said. "Then he returns to his club even stronger.
"Salah's morale in training is very high, as if he were just starting out with the national team, and I believe he will have a great tournament with his country. I feel his motivation is very, very strong. Salah is an icon and will remain so.
"He is one of the best players in the world, and I support him in everything he does. I don't consider what happened to him to be a crisis. These things often happen between players and coaches.
"We've been in contact with him by phone from the beginning, and I met with him when he joined the national team camp. His focus is entirely on the tournament."
The Pharaohs return to action on Boxing Day when they face South Africa in their group stage encounter. They then meet Angola in their final group fixture on Monday, 29 December.
Liverpool, meanwhile, is back in action on Saturday, when the Reds welcome bottom-placed Wolves to Anfield. The visitors have yet to secure a victory in the Premier League this season.
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