A defeat against Senegal ended the Egyptian star’s dreams of playing in the Qatar World Cup.
The second leg of the World Cup qualifying playoff between Egypt and Senegal saw Mohamed Salah suffering another heartbreak with the Pharaohs.
Following a 1-1 draw on aggregate, Salah missed his penalty as Egypt lost the qualification-deciding shootouts. His Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane converted the winning penalty for the Lions of Teranga, barely a month after he scored another crucial penalty against Salah and co in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Despite spending an excellent season at Anfield, Salah has failed to have the same impact when playing for the Pharaohs. However, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk believes the failures will only serve as Salah’s motivation for the rest of the Premier League season.
“I am sure he will turn the disappointment into success for the rest of the season. We still have everything to play for so, there are a lot of things still to achieve for him,” Van Dijk said (via Mail Online).
“As for Sadio [Mane], I wish him all the best and if he is in our group, he is going to need that good luck!”
Salah’s performances in the national team has attracted criticism from Egypt fans. However, the Pharaohs legend Mido has backed Salah, claiming the Liverpool star did not get the service he needed up front.
“I support Salah against the criticism directed at him. He did all he could for the World Cup dream, but football is a team game,” Mido said.
“He didn’t find the support he needed from his teammates on the pitch, despite their trying.
“We shouldn’t just put the blame on one person, we need to learn from the past and work on improving.”
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