Mohamed Salah talks about the surprise exit of one of the favourite teams from the AFCON to the football website GOAL.
The AFCON team Salah is talking about happens to be Nigeria, also known as Super Eagles.
According to Salah, the premature exit of Nigeria from the AFCON is a testament to the high standards of this year’s AFCON.
Mo Salah speaks out on unexpected & shocking knockout from AFCON
The Super Eagles finished top of their group after winning all the games in the group stage. Due to this, many expected them to go all the way and win the competition.
However, Nigeria ended up losing in the first knockout round itself. Nigeria drew Tunisia for the round of sixteen and many considered this to be a mismatch. However, thanks to a forty-seventh-minute strike from Msakni, Tunisia defeated the Super Eagles with ease.
Talking to GOAL about the AFCON, Salah said,
Nigeria had been the best team in the group stage and then they lost. So you never know with any game. It’s tough for everyone.Algeria lost in the group stage, having won it last time, and they had a great team.
About his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane’s team, he said,
Senegal qualified with one goal, I’m not saying something bad, just that the tournament is tough.
Salah’s team Egypt meanwhile has qualified for the semi-final of the AFCON. Salah put up a marvellous performance against Morocco in the quarter-final, scoring one and assisting another.
Salah and Egypt are now preparing for the AFCON semi-final game against Cameroon on the 4th of February.
Salah’s teammate Mane has also qualified for the AFCON semi-final. Mane’s Senegal are now preparing for a semi-final against Burkina Faso on the 3rd of February, after overcoming Equatorial Guinea in the quarter-finals.
Sadio Mane had a great game against Guinea, where he provided an assist and played an overall very strong game despite having a concussion in the round-of-sixteen game.
Salah and Mane can face each other in the final of the AFCON and if that does happen, it will be a great encounter, to say the least.
