For some Egyptian soccer followers, watching Mohamed Salah qualify with Egypt for 2 World Cups in 2018 and 2026 won’t ever make up for the truth that the “golden generation” didn’t get their shot in 2006, 2010 or 2014.
“It’s unfair to match the 2 generations,” Ahmed Elshiekh, a former nationwide workforce participant who now covers the World Cup for Fashionable MTI TV, advised Al Jazeera.
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“The golden technology did every thing however get to the World Cup. They beat Italy [when they were World Cup champions]. The attract qualification was simply unkind to them.”
Salah is the captain and chief of the present technology. He received each trophy on supply whereas taking part in for Liverpool in a glittering nine-year career that noticed him grow to be the very best scoring foreigner within the historical past of the English Premier League.
Given his standing, it’s maybe no shock that Salah shouldered the blame for an AFCON drought that stretches again to 2010. His achievement in dragging Egypt to the 2018 World Cup in Russia is brushed apart attributable to the truth that Egypt was the primary workforce to be eradicated. A half-fit Salah, who had dislocated his shoulder within the UEFA Champions League closing, scored twice, however Egypt misplaced all three matches, together with to Saudi Arabia.
The failures have been compounded when Egypt misplaced the 2021 AFCON closing to Senegal on penalty kicks. 13 months later, Egypt met Senegal in a World Cup playoff and as soon as once more misplaced on penalty kicks. Within the first shootout, Salah was designated because the fifth taker however by no means bought an opportunity to take his penalty. For the second shootout, maybe realising his mistake, he went first and missed.
Salah may need been the most effective gamers within the Premier League, however Egypt followers have been annoyed. To appease their ache, they held on to the recollections of a workforce that was topped African champions in 2006, 2008 and 2010 – successes that have been spearheaded by the legendary midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika, who’s equally well-known for his “Sympathise with Gaza” T-shirt as he’s for his immaculate first contact.
The despondence was so deep that followers had misplaced hope for his or her nationwide workforce. AFCON 2023 was blighted by an harm to Salah, who elected to return to Liverpool for rehabilitation however promised to return ought to the workforce advance to the ultimate. Egypt’s event ended shortly after that assertion, courtesy of a penalty shootout defeat within the spherical of 16.
Working at the moment as an analyst for Egyptian TV, now-Egypt supervisor Hossam Hassan mentioned that if Salah had completed that on his watch, he would “by no means decide him for the nationwide workforce once more”.
A few weeks later, Hassan was appointed to guide the nationwide workforce after Rui Vitoria’s dismissal.
It was broadly speculated that the one cause the Egyptian Soccer Affiliation employed Hassan was as a result of the foreign money disaster had prevented them from attracting a overseas supervisor.
“Hossam Hassan as a participant has achieved every thing you may think about,” Elsheikh mentioned, referencing the previous striker’s report 69 targets for Egypt and three AFCON titles.
“However as a supervisor, we noticed what he can produce, and the outcomes weren’t nice. … Additionally he introduced issues and created crises.”
The crises Elsheikh referred to have been an indicator of Hassan’s journeyman teaching profession marked by brawls and altercations with followers.
However the appointment proved to be a stroke of unintended genius.
Salah finds type underneath Hassan
As an alternative of falling out with Salah, he and Hassan turned joined on the hip. If there was anybody who might perceive the strain of Salah’s place, it was Hassan, who had lived all of it earlier than however with the added strain of getting performed largely in Egypt and having crossed the Cairo divide when he left Al Ahly to signal with bitter rivals Zamalek.
“Hassan does have a captain’s persona and could be very energetic. He may not be the strongest tactically, however he does present a strong defensive base” Elsheikh mentioned.
Salah has loved a wealthy vein of type underneath Hassan’s tutelage. Egypt certified for the 2026 World Cup undefeated, profitable eight out of their 10 matches. The workforce additionally reached the semifinals of the 2025 AFCON event – not that the achievement silenced any of the doubters.
After all, it’s not all about Salah. Egypt have a raft of gifted gamers, together with Man Metropolis’s Omar Marmoush and Al Ahly’s Emam Ashour.
Their undefeated workforce goes into the spherical of 16 to face defending champions Argentina on Tuesday. Egypt have overcome an excessive amount of adversity to succeed in this stage of the event as properly.
A second-half comeback in opposition to New Zealand within the group stage was wanted to safe the nation’s first win at a World Cup. Salah exited the ultimate group recreation in opposition to Iran with a hamstring harm however performed all 120 minutes of the penalty shootout win over Australia within the final 32. The 34-year-old transformed his kick with a Panenka in opposition to Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
Within the aftermath of that victory, Aboutrika, now an analyst for beIN Sports activities, did his greatest to cross the baton to the brand new technology.
Goalscorer Ashour had expressed his pleasure at being in comparison with Aboutrika, saying his ambition was to be “as half nearly as good or perhaps a quarter nearly as good as him”.
In a while within the studio, Aboutrika responded by saying: “You might be higher than [me]. You’ve scored two targets in a World Cup,” and insisting that this was the most important evening within the historical past of Egyptian soccer.
Not everyone seems to be so satisfied.
“This Egypt workforce is best than any we have now seen in years but remains to be remarkably fragile,” opined Karim Zidan, a author centered on the intersection of sports activities, energy and politics.
Salah, in the meantime, was as soon as once more requested who was the best Egyptian participant of all again and again deferred to Aboutrika, saying “there may be completely no dialogue.”
