Salah limps off after scoring from corner
Liverpool star ends drought in Egypt’s 4-1 win
>> CAIRO: Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored direct from a corner but was later injured as Egypt romped to a 4-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over eSwatini on Friday.
The striker went down holding his leg as the Group J match drew to a close in Cairo, resumed after receiving treatment, and was almost immediately withdrawn.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 (formerly Swaziland) 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 seventime 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.
Tunisia, who hosted Niger yesterday, and Egypt have six points each in a mini-league both seem certain to qualify from for the 2019 Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Meanwhile, Juergen Klopp says he does not want to be remembered as the “fun” Liverpool manager who failed to win silverware as expectations rise that the club can break their long trophy drought.
The German manager celebrated his three-year anniversary at Anfield this week but has not tasted success despite taking the club to three finals.
At his presentation as Liverpool manager in October 2015 he pledged to win a “title” within four years. But after three trophy near-misses, the last in May’s Champions League final against Real Madrid, he admits he does not know when that claim will come to fruition.
Liverpool’s last major trophy was the League Cup in 2012 but they have not been English champions since 1990.
“I have said it a few times: I have no idea when we will win something but I’m sure this club will win something,” he said in an interview with Premier League Productions. “I don’t know when so let’s have the best times of our lives until then.”
Klopp added: “Nobody wants to look back in 10 or 20 years and say ‘So the best time we had without winning anything was when Klopp was here. It was so funny and all that stuff.”