Russia nears KO stage

Try as he might, Mohamed Salah couldn’t do enough to give Egypt the victory it needed at the World Cup.

The Premier League player of the year won and converted a late consolation penalty in his team’s 3-1 loss to Russia on Tuesday, a result that makes it extremely unlikely for Egypt to advance.

Returning from a shoulder injury to play in his first ever World Cup match, Salah provided a few glimpses of the skills and marksmanship that helped him score 44 goals in all competitions with Liverpool last season.

His 73rd-minute goal from the penalty spot came after host Russia scored three goals in a 15-minute, second-half burst. Egypt’s last Group A match is against Saudi Arabia on Monday.

For much of the 90 minutes at the St. Petersburg Stadium, the 26-year-old Egyptian tried to find space for himself, with his teammates unable or incapable to provide him with the kind of service he receives at Liverpool. Too often, the passes were too long, too short, too high or intercepted by a dogged and well-organized Russian defense.

It was hardly a fitting comeback for a player who gained global stardom on the strength of a single brilliant season with Liverpool, whom he joined last summer from Roma, and a player who enjoys the kind of popularity no athlete has ever enjoyed in Egypt.

The defeat stunned Egypt, a soccer crazy nation of some 100 million people whose hopes have been pinned on Salah delivering the desired result. Many watching the match at cafes left in tears or in rage after the third goal, a predictable reaction given the hype that has surrounded Salah and the national team since qualification was secured in October. /

He couldn’t prepare with us in the training camp. He had to train alone... People ask me, ‘What if he hadn’t been injured in the Champions League’s final?’ He would have had three weeks to train with us with the same intensity as the rest of the team. HECTOR CUPER Egypt manager on Mo Salah