It was Sadio Mane once again who ended Mohamed Salah's dream of leading Egypt to an Africa Cup of Nations title
Sadio Mane ended the hopes of former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah at AFCON.
Sadio Mane ended the hopes of Mohamed Salah winning AFCON(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Sadio Mane's Africa Cup of Nations heroics were enough to end Mohamed Salah's dreams of leading Egypt to victory. The 33-year-old forward was unable to prevent Egypt's semi-final exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, succumbing to a 1-0 loss against Senegal on Wednesday, with his former Liverpool team-mate scoring the winner.
Despite an impressive personal contribution of four goals and one assist across five matches, the Liverpool talisman couldn't secure a final berth against Morocco. Salah's quest for international silverware with his country continues, in what may prove to be his final genuine chance to claim the trophy.
The loss to Mane's Senegal represents another setback in what has been a turbulent campaign for the Premier League legend, whose Anfield future was cast into uncertainty before the tournament.
Following his omission from three successive league fixtures, the Egyptian reacted furiously after Liverpool's 3-3 stalemate with Leeds United in December, accusing the club of attempting to scapegoat him and revealing he had no rapport with boss Arne Slot.
His extraordinary remarks not only resulted in his removal from the squad for Liverpool's Champions League fixture but also provoked a fierce response from Jamie Carragher. The ex-Reds centre-back devoted an eight-minute segment on Monday Night Football to criticising Salah's conduct, describing his behaviour as "selfish".
While certain sections of supporters defended Salah's right to voice his opinions, considering his monumental contributions to the club, others found themselves in agreement with Carragher's view that the forward has occasionally prioritised personal interests over the collective.
Mohamed Salah looking dejected
Mohamed Salah's Egypt were dumped out of AFCON by Senegal(Image: Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The Sky Sports analyst reminded Salah that he remains without silverware at international level and urged him to appreciate the significance of his colleagues before launching into public criticism.
Some supporters believe this observation validates Carragher's judgement. In the wake of Egypt's elimination, one social media user posted: "Mo Salah with all his brilliance did not steer Egypt to any trophy."
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher speaking on Sky Sports
Jamie Carragher blasted the Liverpool forward last month(Image: Sky Sports)
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Another suggested that Salah's approach has evolved towards individual achievement as his career has progressed, remarking: "As Salah's aged, he's gone the Ronaldo route, more focused on maximising goals."
A third user delivered perhaps the harshest critique of Salah's purported conduct on the pitch, stating: "As an Egyptian, I wanted AFCON for Mo Salah so he could be one of the greatest Arab players, but how can you be great if you don't run, don't defend, and act like you don't care? Look at Mane, he gives everything for his nation. I can't support a player who doesn't do the same."
Salah has twice been a runner-up in the AFCON, and speaking about his lack of success with Egypt, Carragher stated: "He's the greatest player his country has ever had in Egypt. Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations are the most successful nation. Mo Salah has never won the AFCON.
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"That isn't me trying to put him down as a player, but what it tells him and his agent is that it's not about an individual. No matter how good a player you are, you need help from your team-mates, your manager and fans. It's really important he remembers that."
Salah is expected to return to Liverpool between 19th and 20th January following Egypt's third-place play-off against Nigeria on Saturday.