Egyptian who his team face Arsenal in the FA Cup third round, have stepped up their preparations for the upcoming tournament, which opens on January 13 and faces Mozambique, Ghana and Cape Verde in Group B. Salah will have been pleased his team-mates fare well in his absence as a Jakub Kiwior own goal and Luis Diaz’s incisive finish secured Liverpool a draw in the fourth round.
Egypt defeated Tanzania 2-0 in a friendly match held in Cairo. After former Aston Villa forward Treze opened the scoring, Salah had a golden opportunity to give his country a two-goal cushion from 12 yards, but his shot went wide. Fortunately, his free-kick went over the bar and into the back of the net, hitting goalkeeper Aisy Manula in the back of the head. Salah faced questions about his ability to take a penalty after missing a chance in Liverpool’s 4-2 win against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day. Martin Dubravka’s guess was correct and his effort was blocked, but Salah had the last laugh and made up for his earlier penalty miss by slotting home another to seal victory.
Although the Liverpool striker was not on the scoresheet for Egypt on Monday, he has a new place under Louis Vitoria. The Portuguese tactician has deployed Salah in midfield, far from his traditional role on the right, where he scored 204 goals for Liverpool.
