Egypt’s second-half implosion was still to come but the look of weary frustration painted across Mohamed Salah’s face at the interval said it all.
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Whatever was to unfold at Krestovsky Stadium, Salah was in no position to stop Egypt’s swift exit from the World Cup.
After bamboozling defences across England and Europe throughout a dizzying 2017-18 campaign that yielded 44 goals for Liverpool, for Egypt Salah was on the periphery. A powerless, forlorn victim of circumstance.
Since he tumbled to the Kiev turf locked together fatefully with Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos last month, there has been a relentless sense of frenzy around the Premier League Golden Boot winner.
From the consistently conflicting medical updates over his rate of recovery from a shoulder injury to the perplexing number of people signing a ‘something must be done’ petition against Ramos ― who, as usual, revelled in the role of pantomime villain.
Wily Argentinian coach Hector Cuper pragmatically opted not to use Salah in Egypt’s opening 1-0 loss to Uruguay in Group A but now it was time to roll the dice.
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Egypt’s travelling army of fans have not been hard to see or hear in St Petersburg over recent days, repeatedly bursting into their hero’s Liverpool anthem with the gusto of long-time Kop season ticket holders.
Salah’s name was roared at kick-off but his most notable role during the opening stages was to station himself in a one-man defensive wall. Russia were firmly on top, with Denis Cheryshev and Aleksandr Golovin picking up from where they left off in the opening night evisceration of Saudi Arabia.
The PFA and FWA Player of the Year’s first touch came in the 11th minute. A tentative, uncertain prod under pressure. Possession was lost.
On the opposite flank, Egypt’s left-winger Trezeguet cut inside and curled a menacing shot just wide. It felt like watching a mirror image of Salah’s favourite move. Maybe we were all just desperate for the real thing.
In the 28th minute, Yuri Zhirkov must have feared the worst when he came up against Salah in the left-back position. A tamely chipped cross was the outcome though.
During last season we became accustomed to Salah’s merry runs and while those seemed too much to ask for against Russia, Zhirkov still had to be alert to prevent him from converting a tap-in at the back post. Unfortunately for the Pharaohs, Salah’s mind was as sharp as the shoulder was undercooked.
There was a thrash of frustration in the 35th minute when Salah volleyed an aimless square volley to the opposition on halfway and his night already looked a lost cause by the time he clipped a shot narrowly wide, having got the ball clumsily stuck under his feet.
While all the pre-match hype was about Salah, the second half and ultimately the match was defined by a forward who could not be more contrasting to the star attraction.
At first glance, Artem Dzyuba has the dimensions and mobility of a wardrobe but this unashamedly old-fashioned striker is a cult hero for the home faithful.
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His muscular presence played a role in Egypt captain Ahmed Fathi skewing the ball into his own net in the 47th minute.
Dzyuba’s ungainly clump into the right channel before the hour looked likely to end the attack but Egypt were scrambling as Bruno Fernandes and Cheryshev combined for a moment of pure class, which was generally lacking elsewhere.
Cheryshev scored his third goal of the tournament ― making him an unlikely candidate for the Golden Boot ― while Dzyuba and his bustling brawn added a third all before Salah got his name on the scoresheet with a penalty.
The lithe movement to draw a desperate foul, the smooth strike to dispatch the penalty, the sujood celebration. All a tantalising glance of what might have been at Russia 2018.