Mohamed Salah’s disappointing performance contributed to Egypt’s exit from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals, as Senegal edged past Egypt with a narrow 1-0 victory on January 14 at Stade Ibn-Batouta. The loss guarantees Salah will not be making a swift return to Anfield. Instead, he’ll feature in the third-place play-off against Morocco on Saturday 16 January, having finished as the tournament’s joint-leading scorer with four goals.
Despite starting the match Salah was unable to have any type of impact, not even putting a shot on target all match long. His overall performance came across as quite uninspired and unimaginative. He was not able to successfully complete any take-ons, which resulted in his team having few viable attacking avenues. In total, Egypt only logged three shots for the entire match, underscoring how hard they struggled to crack open Senegal’s organized defense.
Salah’s performance stood in stark contrast to that of Senegal’s Sadio Mane, who managed to outshine his Egyptian counterpart. Mane’s contributions were pivotal in securing Senegal’s place in the final, further complicating Salah’s quest for a continental title, which now extends into another season. Despite having shown promise earlier in the tournament, Salah’s inability to inspire his team during this crucial match has drawn considerable attention.
The loss only continues an unlucky streak for Salah and the Egyptian national team. They came in with great expectations of making it into the final. Instead, the latter now must pick themselves up to meet Morocco in a third-place playoff for which Qatar will have little appetite. With playoffs right around the corner, this match-up is even more important for both clubs. They are motivated to rescue their campaigns, having been eliminated at the semifinals stage.
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