Scary footage has shown Mohamed Salah being hit by missiles after Egypt lost their crunch World Cup qualifier against Senegal on Tuesday.
The Liverpool forward had to be escorted to the dressing room by security on a disappointing night for Salah and his nation. With the defeat, Egypt have failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Read: 2022 World Cup draw: Date, time, teams qualified, how to watch
Egypt went into the second leg of the tie 1-0 up. In the home leg, an own goal from defender Saliou Ciss was enough to give the Africa Cup of Nations finalists the advantage.
But Senegal struck back with a similarly early goal at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade. Villarreal forward Boulaye Dia scored in the third minute of proceedings.
With no further goals in normal time or extra time, the game went to a penalty shootout to decide who would qualify for Qatar. That is where the controversy began.
Senegal fans shine lasers on Salah during shootout
The start of the penalty shootout was a nightmare for both sides. Kalidou Koulibaly missed Senegal’s first spot-kick, meaning Mohamed Salah had the opportunity to give Egypt the advantage. However, he missed.
Despite the miss, all focus was on the conduct of the home fans. Footage shows a series of green lasers shined at Salah’s face as he prepared to take the penalty. It is perhaps unsurprising that he blazed the ball over the bar in those circumstances.
It took until the fifth penalty for Ismaila Sarr to give Senegal the lead in the shootout. From there, it was Sadio Mane who scored the deciding penalty for his nation for the second time in two months after guiding his nation to AFCON glory.
Senegal were through, but Egypt were left heartbroken again. They were also on the receiving end of defeat in the AFCON final.
Read: The special bonuses Senegal received for winning AFCON
Salah hit by missiles
However, the laser debacle wasn’t the only major controversy of the night.
After the shootout had concluded, delighted Senegal fans invaded the pitch to celebrate with their heroes. In such circumstances, the priority of the losing team is always to leave the field as quickly as possible.
Flanked by security, Mohamed Salah was escorted back to the Egypt dressing room. As he walked off, however, he had to be protected from missiles that were being thrown onto the pitch.
Footage clearly shows the Liverpool forward being hit on the head and neck by a series of missiles, before getting back to the dressing room.
In addition, several other Egypt players were also holding their heads. Whether missiles hit them is unclear.
The unsavoury incident was certainly a scary one. Egypt have since released a statement alleging that Salah and his teammates were subject to racial abuse. In addition, their bus was the subject of an attack. That led to injuries and broken windows, of which they claim they have video and photographic evidence.
They state: “The Egypt national team have been exposed to racism with offensive signs in the stands against the Egyptian players in general, and Mohamed Salah in particular.
“The crowd also intimidated the players by throwing bottles and rocks on them during the warm-up.”
Featured Image Credit: KORA Plus
