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Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has backed his teammate Mohamed Salah to bounce back strongly from Egypt’s disappointing World Cup playoff exit against Senegal on Tuesday. The Dutchman believes Salah would turn the disappointment into success, as he has a lot to play for in the ongoing 2021-22 campaign.
Salah’s Egypt were beaten by Sadio Mane’s Senegal in their FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff on Tuesday. Despite a 1-0 win in the first leg, the Egyptians failed to hold firm in the return leg, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat.
With the aggregate scores remanining 1-1 after extra time, the game went into penalties, where Salah uncharacteristically failed to convert from the spot. Zizo and Mostafa Mohamed also failed to convert their spot-kicks for Egypt, allowing Senegal captain Sadio Mane to score the winning penalty.
Van Dijk, who was in action against Germany during the shootout, was unaware of his Liverpool teammate's elimination. After being informed about Egypt’s loss, the Dutch defender commented (via Mirror):
“Well obviously, I feel sorry for Mo and for Egypt, but football is sometimes like this. I am sure he will turn the disappointment into success for the rest of the season. We still have everything to play for, so there is a lot of things still to achieve for him.”
Van Dijk went on to congratulate his other teammate Mane, adding:
“As for Sadio, I wish him all the best, and if he is in our group, he is going to need that good luck!”
With the international break out of the way, Liverpool will return to Premier League action with a clash against Watford on Saturday.
Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah bathed in laser light before crucial penalty kick
On Tuesday, Salah endured one of the worst nights of his career. Taking the first spot-kick against Senegal, the 29-year-old skied his effort over the bar, instantly giving the hosts the edge.
Given his big-match experience, the Egyptian should have done a lot better. However, before pinning the blame on the forward, one must also take note of the distraction the Senegalese fans caused. Numerous green laser pointers were shone on the Liverpool star the moment he stepped up to take his spot kick.
He tried to keep his cool and proceeded with his run-up but ended up missing his opportunity. Salah was visibly distraught after the shootout, and he has every right to feel hard done by Tuesday night’s events.
