Mo Salah was praised by Ange Postecoglou for his performance in Egypt’s first-ever win at a World Cup finals as the Pharaohs came from behind to beat New Zealand overnight.
The Liverpool legend netted his country’s second goal and claimed the assist for the third as they won 3-1 to move top of Group G and put themselves on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages.
The 34-year-old led the post-match celebrations among his teammates, and having had his on-field output widely questioned after an unusually subdued campaign in which he scored just 12 goals, he proved that he retains the ability to impact games at the highest level.
Speaking on punditry duty for ITV Sport, Postecoglou praised Salah for coming to the fore on the big occasion for Egypt.
The ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss said (via BBC): “If there was any doubt about Mo’s impact on this team, you can still see it. It will give them enormous belief. They had to deal with adversity and their big player stood up, and that will give them big confidence. You need your big players to perform to progress.”
Fellow pundit Jobi McAnuff expressed similar sentiments as he chimed in: “Just when he was needed, Mo Salah stood up for his country.”
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The 34-year-old may have scored twice at the 2018 World Cup, but his impact was curtailed by the after-effects of Sergio Ramos’ hatchet job in the Champions League final and Egypt lost all three games in a summer to forget.
This time around, Salah came into the tournament off the back of a difficult farewell season at Liverpool but has been able to properly enjoy finding the net as the Pharaohs recorded a historic win, and the winger was very much a huge driving force behind that result.
In addition to his goal and assist, the figures below from Sofascore highlight the contributions he made throughout the match in Vancouver, with Hossam Hassan’s side now in a favourable position to win their group altogether.
The Anfield legend would’ve come into this World Cup with a point to prove after a tough campaign on and off the pitch, and anyone who’d dared to write him off as yesterday’s man might now have to reconsider that verdict.
Hopefully there’s plenty more to come at the tournament for the iconic Salah, who’ll be missed at Liverpool next season but forever adored by the Merseyside faithful.
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Slot has ruined salah. Hope salah continues his legacy at his new club. He definitely has a few more elite years left in his tank.
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