Online Reporter
MOHAMED SALAH wants to put a disappointing start to his season with Liverpool behind him today and help Egypt beat Djibouti and qualify for the 2026 World Cup football finals.
A win for the record seven-time African champions over one of the lowest-ranked teams on the continent will give them an unassailable lead over second-placed Burkina Faso in Group A with one match to spare.
A two-time African Footballer of the Year, Salah has lost his spark with the English Premier League champions, scoring just three goals in nine appearances in all competitions this season.
Last season, the 33-year-old netted 29 times in 38 league matches to win the Golden Boot award as Liverpool surged to a record-equalling 20th Premier League title.
Salah has fond memories of playing against Djibouti, scoring four goals in a 6-0 Cairo romp in the opening round of World Cup qualifying two years ago.
It does not help Djibouti that they do not have a FIFA-approved stadium, so their “home” match against Egypt will be staged in the Moroccan commercial capital, Casablanca.
Three subsequent goals took Salah to seven in the qualifying campaign, one less than chart-topper Denis Bouanga of Gabon with two rounds remaining.
Fellow Egypt forward Mostafa Mohamed, who plays for French Ligue 1 outfit Nantes, is not concerned about Salah, telling reporters the lack of goals is “a temporary setback”.
“Mo is a big star, and we are lucky to have him in our team. He is the best player in the history of Egypt,” he told the FIFA website.
“He is amazing. For me, he has a great personality. I love him a lot. He is a wonderful player,” added Mohamed, who also scored against Djibouti.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has an embarrassment of attacking riches. Apart from Salah and Mohamed, he can call on Omar Marmoush, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan and Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed.
Given Djibouti have lost seven of eight qualifiers and lie 158 places below Egypt in the FIFA rankings, it would be a shock if they prevent the Pharaohs from sealing a fourth World Cup appearance.
Algeria and Cape Verde are the other two countries that can clinch places at the World Cup with matchday nine victories and join already-qualified Morocco and Tunisia in North and Central America next year.
Senegal, reigning African champions Cote d’ Ivoire and Ghana could also take unassailable leads but they must win and hope other group results favour them.
Group C where Benin lead South Africa on goal difference and Nigeria and Rwanda are three points behind, is the one section where a qualifier cannot emerge before the final round, starting on Sunday.
Like Egypt, Algeria can qualify if they secure maximum points against a much lower-ranked opponent. The Desert Foxes have the added advantage of playing an “away” Group G match against Somalia at home.
Security concerns prevent Somalia from staging matches in Mogadishu, and a 163-place rankings gap behind Algeria demonstrates the difficult challenge facing the Ocean Stars in Oran tomorrow.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic has called up for the first time Luca Zidane, the 27-year-old goalkeeper with Spanish second-tier club Granada and son of French great Zinedine Zidane. — AFP Sport.
