Mohamed Salah’s Egypt took it to extra time and penalties, but bested Australia with four penalties made after the Socceroos missed two from the spot. Salah, the Egyptian captain, took his side’s third penalty as a panenka, and had a cheeky smile on in the aftermath.
This will be the second time Egypt have reached the Round of 16, with their previous trip to this stage coming back in 1934. They went out to Hungary 4-2 on that occasion, and have since been eliminated at the Group Stage in their two other appearances. Though this represents their joint-longest World Cup run, it is of course worth noting that this year’s competition has been expanded with a Group Stage, Round of 32, and then Round of 16.
That Mohamed Salah was fit not just to play but to put in a full 90 minutes plus extra time was something of a surprise, as the former Liverpool winger was complaining of hamstring issues in the lead up to the match. Salah will be proud of his efforts; he was heavily involved in the late barrage on the Australian goal that could have made penalties unnecessary.
Given his age, it is possible that this will be his final World Cup — though Lionel Messi has looked very good for Argentina at age 39, so anything is possible.
Salah, whose Liverpool contract expired on June 30th, has yet to announce his future plans, with an announcement expected after the World Cup. As such, you feel we can claim him at Liverpool for just a bit longer.
