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Football pundit Jamie Carragher has likened Mohamed Salah to Cristiano Ronaldo after Egypt's loss to Senegal in the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
Senegal dominated the contest but the Pharaohs held on to keep the match goalless after extra time, leaving it to be decided by a penalty shootout.
The Senegalese, who took the first spot-kick, scored four out of their five penalties while Egypt only scored two. Salah, who was in line to take the fifth kick, didn't take a penalty at all. His Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane took the decisive spot-kick for Senegal.
The tactic was similar to what Manchester United's Ronaldo has followed for some time now. The Portuguese forward often steps up only for the fifth penalty, even winning the 2016 UEFA Champions League final with Real Madrid by doing so.
However, he has also experienced heartbreak by following a similar routine. The most recent example was the 2020 Coppa Italia final when he was at Juventus, with Napoli scoring all their penalties to win the match. Ronaldo didn't get to take his spot-kick after Paulo Dybala and Danilo missed for the Bianconeri.
Carragher criticized the tactic after the 2021 AFCON final on Twitter, stating:
"That is why your best penalty taker should never go fifth. Mo Salah not taking a penalty for Egypt in a shootout in a final is madness. Also happened to Ronaldo years ago for Portugal v Spain."
The former Liverpool centre-back seemed to be referring to the Euro 2012 semifinal between Spain and Portugal. Joao Moutinho and Bruno Alves missed for Os Navegadores while Xabi Alonso missed for Spain. Cesc Fabregas netted La Roja's fifth penalty to secure a 4-2 win, with Ronaldo not getting to take a spot-kick.
Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo are the top-scorers for their respective clubs this season
Salah's incredible form in the ongoing season has been well-documented. Many even believe the Egyptian has been the best player in the world this campaign and his record so far is an indication of the same.
The Liverpool forward has managed 23 goals and nine assists in all competitions for the Reds this season. Salah also scored twice and assisted once for Egypt in the 2021 AFCON and will be disappointed not to have led the Pharoahs to the title.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo made a return to Old Trafford last summer after 12 years. He hit the ground running to notch up 14 goals in his first 20 matches across competitions for Manchester United this season. However, he is on a four-match goalless streak at the moment.
Both players currently lead the scoring charts for their clubs and will look to add to their tallies in the remainder of the season.
