Mohamed Salah hinted that he might retire from international football after Egypt's defeat to Senegal in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers. The Pharaohs were handed a defeat on penalties by Senegal which saw them failing to qualify for the showpiece event in Qatar. It was the second time this year that Salah's Egypt lost to Senegal after going down to the Lions in the AFCON 2021 final. The Egypt forward, would join the likes of high-profile players like Erling Haaland, Alexis Sanchez and Gianluigi Donnarumma among others who would miss the World Cup this year. Mo Salah Misses Penalty After Being Targeted With Lasers During Egypt vs Senegal Clash in World Cup Qualifiers
While addressing the Egypt dressing room after losing to Senegal, Goal.com quoted him saying, "I told the players before the second match that I am proud to play with them and they are among the best I have played with."
“I played for some time with the previous generation, with Wael Gomaa and Mohamed Abu Trika, then Abdullah Al-Saeed and his generation, but I'm happy with the current generation. I am proud to play with you and it was an honour for me, and what happened cannot be interfered with by anyone because for the second time it is a penalty shootout (after the AFCON final). There is not much I can say but it has been an honour to play with you, whether I will be in the national team after that or not," he added.
Salah missed a penalty for Egypt in the game but before that, cameras spotted fans targetting the Liverpool star with lasers. After the game, Senegal fans threw water bottles and other objects on him from the stands and he had to be escorted out of the ground by security officials. According to reports, the Egyptian FA has condemned these actions and are reportedly planning to request FIFA and have this fixture replayed.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2022 05:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).