Right results, wrong timing
Salah scores direct from corner but strains muscle in Egypt romp
JOhANNESbuRg: Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored direct from a corner but was later injured as Egypt romped to a 4-1 African Nations Cup qualifying win over eSwatini (formerly Swaziland).
The striker went down holding his leg as the Group J match drew to a close in Cairo on Friday, resumed after receiving treatment, and was almost immediately withdrawn.
Speaking after the match, Egypt assistant coach Hany Ramzy told BeIN Sports: “The initial diagnosis, according to the team doctor, is a strong muscle strain. It is not a tear, I think it is not serious.”
A spokesman for the team’s medical department told the www. Kooora.com website: “He (Salah) had a light strain, we will do a scan as soon as possible.
“I doubt he can play next Tuesday. We will be sure after the scan,” he added, referring to the return match against eSwatini in Manzini.
After scoring 44 goals in all competitions during his first season at Anfield, the striker has netted only three this term, with just one since August.
Salah netted twice and missed two penalties when record seven-time African champions Egypt hammered Niger 6-0 last month in another qualifier.
With eSwatini ranked even lower than Niger, there were expectations that Salah could get back on the goal trail at the Al Salam Stadium. He blasted a shot wide with Egypt three goals ahead before curling a corner into the net on the stroke of half-time.
Salah fluffed a chance to net again by missing from inside the box during the second half after combining with Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny.
Captain Ahmed Elmohamady, Amr Warda and Mahmoud Hassan also scored for Egypt and Sibonginkosi Gamedze snatched a late eSwatini goal.
Jonathan Kodjia, Manchester United defender Eric Bailly, Cheick
Doukoure and Maxwel Cornet scored for the Ivory Coast as they crushed the Central African Republic 4-0 in Bouake. In the other Group H match, Guinea defeated Rwanda 2-0 in Conakry through goals from Francois Kamano and Ibrahima Cisse to stay three points ahead of the Ivorians. Angola ended the perfect, two-victory Group I record of Mauritania by recovering from conceding a third-minute goal to triumph 4-1 in Luanda. Captain Mateus da Costa turned the tide with goals after 12 and 16 minutes, levelling from a penalty before volleying his team into the lead. Angola and Mauritania have six points and Burkina Faso can join them if they win at home to bottom team Botswana.