The fifth best goal scorer in Liverpool’s history Mohamed Salah is the notable absentee in the English top-flight football of late, as the 31-year-old Egypt captain is currently on duty with his national side in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations at Ivory Coast. Just yesterday, the Egypt captain and the second top striker of the country at 56 goals in 97 appearances for the Pharaohs, skippered his country to meet Ghana in Matchday 2 of the continental championship, but he was forced to be taken off early due to an apparent injury to his hamstring, an incident that would take a toll on both Egypt and Liverpool in the near future.
What Happened to the Egypt Captain in the 2-2 Draw?
Both Egypt and Ghana did not have the best of start in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, with the former needing the Egypt captain Salah to secure a valuable point right at the death from the spot against Mozambique last time around whereas Ghana were shockingly defeated by Cape Verde in their own Group B opener.
The 31-year-old Egypt captain and Liverpool’s no. 11 player Salah was subbed off by Egyptian Premier League club Pyramids winger Mostafa Fathi during the added time of the opening half. The cause of the premature replacement was due to an apparent injury to his hamstring, and the substitution gave everyone at the Egypt national team as well as Liverpool Football Club an enormous scare.
Without their star talisman, Mohammed Kudus from English Premier League club West Ham United gave Ghana the first lead of the game during the final moments of the opening half, before German Bundesliga 1 side Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush cancelled out the opener in the 69th minute. Marmoush’s strike was part of the three goals scored in quick succession by both sides, with Kudus once again giving Ghana the lead. The second goal of his brace was insufficient to give Ghana all three points, as Mostafa Mohamed, a striker from French Ligue 1 club Nantes, scored his second goal in as many matches for his country with 16 minutes to go in the normal 90 minutes of playing time.
Vitória: “I Think It’s (Egypt Captain Salah’s Injury) Not Dangerous.”
53-year-old Portuguese head coach had this to say on his Egypt captain and Liverpool man Salah’s situation: “I hope it’s not a big problem, but now, I don’t know, because it’s [Too] early to see something. I think it’s not dangerous, but let’s see. Let’s see if Salah recovers. The players, who have an excellent relationship with each other, had a halftime talk and then they showed their true face in the second half despite conceding. The match was exhausting; we need to have some rest. We have three days to prepare for the next game. There are no easy games; we saw how Cape Verde beat Ghana. We have to focus on the next game.”
Egypt manager Vitória’s and Egypt captain Salah’s team will face Group B leaders Cape Verde for a chance to reach the knockout stages of the 2023 African Cup of Nations early next week.
Ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson had decided to leave Saudi Arabia after a mutually agreed termination of contract with Al-Ettifaq. The 33-year-old midfielder’s move to depart from the Steven Gerrard-managed side saw him sign for Dutch Eredivisie outfit AFC Ajax as one of the biggest moves in the January 2024 winter transfer window. The England international will be wearing the no. 6 jersey at the Netherlands for AFC Ajax, and we have covered all the information needed in this article. Feel free to have a read on it right away!
Amsterdam! So happy to be here. Can’t wait to see you all soon ❌❌❌ @AFCAjax pic.twitter.com/da3idpC3AB
— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) January 18, 2024