Mohamed Salah was a bit lucky after missing another penalty in Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations warm-up match against Tanzania. Salah’s penalty hit the crossbar but he got away with it.
While Liverpool were busy with Arsenal in the FA Cup third round, Egypt was getting ready for the upcoming tournament in the Ivory Coast, starting on January 13. They’ll be playing against Mozambique, Ghana and Cape Verde in Group B.
Salah should be delighted that his Liverpool teammates maintained their good form without him. A Jakub Kiwior own-goal and Luis Díaz’s brilliant finish secured Liverpool’s spot in the fourth round.
Egypt won the friendly match against Tanzania 2-0 in Cairo. After former Aston Villa player Trezeguet scored the first goal, Salah had a great chance to score from 12 yards out, but his penalty hit the crossbar.
Luckily, after his penalty bounced off the crossbar, it hit goalkeeper Aishi Manula on the backside and ended up in the net.
Salah has been questioned about his penalty-taking skills after missing a chance against Newcastle United in Liverpool’s 4-2 win on New Year’s Day. Martin Dúbravka saved his shot, but Salah had the last laugh by scoring another penalty to secure the win.
Salah also found himself playing in a new position during Egypt’s match on Monday. Manager Rui Vitoria decided to try him out in midfield, a change from his usual right-wing role where he’s scored 204 goals for Liverpool.
Vitoria hinted that this could be a new role for Salah. He said:
“We wanted to make sure that everyone is fit and ready today. I think everyone is performing at the highest level because they want to earn their place in the squad but I can only choose 11 players in the end.”
He added: “Salah playing a central midfield role? It was clear today that he can play that part and he doesn’t necessarily have to play on the wing at all times.”
