Mohamed Salah, Egypt's talismanic forward, stands between Australia and a place in the World Cup last 16 as the two teams prepare to clash in Vancouver. Salah, who scored in Egypt's 3-1 victory over New Zealand to secure progression, is just one goal away from equalling Hossam Hassan as the country's all-time leading scorer with 69 goals.
Egypt had never won a World Cup match before that victory over New Zealand, a fact that weighed heavily on the nation. 'In years to come, we will remember that this was one of the achievements in history,' Salah said after the match, which saw fans in Cairo bring traffic to a standstill in celebration.
Salah's International Career Defined by Near Misses
Salah has made 119 appearances for Egypt, including the 2018 World Cup, but his international career has been marked by near misses. He has never won the African Cup of Nations, making his debut a year after Egypt's third consecutive title in 2010. 'People still look at certain players who played for the 2006, 2008 and 2010 teams, and they're confused as to why some players were able to be stars at that time and Salah – who has had a much better club career – hasn't been able to do half of what they did,' said Saher Ahmed, a journalist with Egyptian football website KingFut. 'Salah is obviously the best player ever to play for this national team, but not with this national team.'
New Role and Injury Concerns
In this tournament, Salah has adopted a more central starting position, playing off Omar Marmoush before Trezeguet replaced the Manchester City forward. 'I think it's a new version of Mo Salah at the moment,' Hossam Hassan said before the Iran match. 'He plays in a new position, he plays very freely in a very creative way.' However, concerns arose when Salah was substituted against Iran with half an hour remaining, icing his hamstring. He had previously limped off for Liverpool in April with a hamstring issue, though it was described as a 'minor muscle injury.' After jogging in trainers on Monday, Salah was pictured in the main group on Tuesday wearing boots, easing fears of a serious setback.
Legacy at Stake
This World Cup campaign, likely Salah's last, carries extra weight. According to Ahmed, a deep run would enhance Salah's standing, but without an Afcon title, he would still struggle to surpass Mohamed Aboutrika as Egypt's greatest player. 'Even though people acknowledge he's achieved much more than Aboutrika, they still see Aboutrika as a much more useful player for the national team and a much more skilful player.'
Hossam Hassan, who won the African Cup of Nations three times as a player, said: 'The most important thing is that we win. If [Salah] scores those goals, it's good for Egypt, and good for me personally … because it will make a difference to me as a manager, and it means our generations complete one another.' Ahmed believes Egypt's campaign is already a success: 'We already made history. [The Socceroos match] is more than a bonus game, but it's also a bit, at least we finally did that.'
