Mohamed Salah still has magic in his old boots. While the clock is ticking toward the end for many of the stars at this FIFA World Cup, some can still roll back the years, and Salah proved to be more like Lionel Messi than Cristiano Ronaldo by creating history for Egypt on Sunday.
By scoring once and registering an assist in the Pharaohs’ 3-1 win against New Zealand in Vancouver, the 34-year-old helped secure his country’s first-ever victory at a World Cup in their eighth attempt and moved them to the top of Group G.
Egypt will face Iran in their final group game in Seattle on Friday, knowing that they are within striking distance of the knockout stages for the first time.
On the other side of the group, Belgium will take on New Zealand in Vancouver, needing their aging stars to keep their World Cup dream alive. But while Salah delivered for Egypt, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne hit the wall in a goalless draw against Iran in Los Angeles that hinted at the end being nigh for both players.
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It has been a tough tournament for players with storied careers so far, aside from Argentina captain Messi and his hat trick against Algeria.
Ronaldo’s 90 minutes for Portugal against Congo DR were a nonevent, and Heung-Min Son has failed to live up to his previous heights with South Korea.
Salah was substituted in Egypt’s opener against Belgium, prompting coach Hossam Hassan to deny reports of a rift between the pair, while De Bruyne was indifferent in his first game against Salah’s side.
So, what could Salah and the Belgian veterans do in their second outing, with the stakes higher due to poor displays on Matchday 1?
Salah’s World Cup story was never going to match the highlights of his club career with Liverpool.
Egypt are a regional powerhouse in Africa — they have won a record seven AFCON titles — but they arrived at this World Cup having never won a game in the finals, with only Honduras (9) playing more games without winning at the tournament. Salah has always been under pressure to perform for his country because he’s a superstar, but all Egypt had wanted was a win — any win — and it finally arrived against New Zealand.
For Belgium, the expectation has been completely different, and their repeated failure has weighed heavily on their so-called golden generation. De Bruyne and Lukaku know about that more than most. This is their fourth World Cup, but the side that travelled to Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 with high hopes of emerging as world champions has long gone.
Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Axel Witsel and Jan Vertonghen have been replaced by players who are nowhere close to their level, so De Bruyne and Lukaku — ably supported by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois — have become the aging stars with one last shot at glory.
But deep down, they will know that their best chance has disappeared from the rearview mirror. Reaching the semifinals in 2018 was as good as it got, and so far, this World Cup has looked more like a case of De Bruyne and Lukaku far removed from their peak seasons of production.
Lukaku didn’t even get on the pitch for the opening game against Egypt in Seattle. The 33-year-old former Chelsea and Manchester United forward managed just seven appearances all season for Napoli due to fitness problems, so he was still working on his fitness as Rudi Garcia’s team toiled away to a 1-1 draw.
But after failing to win that opening game, Belgium needed to get off the mark against Iran, so Garcia handed Lukaku a starting role in Los Angeles. With 90 goals in 127 games before kickoff, Lukaku is by some distance Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, and he is fifth on the all-time list of international goalscorers.
He didn’t once look as though he would add to his tally at SoFi Stadium, though. Lukaku has never been the most elegant of footballers, but he was cumbersome and heavy-footed against the Iranians before being substituted in the 73rd minute after registering no shots on or off target and no assists. He ended up with an xG of 0.03.
De Bruyne didn’t fare much better, but had Maxim De Cuyper scored off the former Manchester City midfielder’s pass in the 59th minute rather than hit it straight at goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, De Bruyne would have ended the game with a decisive contribution.
The 34-year-old has always worn a pained expression when playing, with his red cheeks displaying the effort required for his box-to-box runs. But De Bruyne was released by City at the end of his contract 12 months ago because injuries had begun to take their toll and diminish his ability to perform as the player who dominated for almost a decade as the Premier League’s outstanding midfielder.
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Robson: Lukaku looked ‘totally out of sorts’ against Iran
Similar to Lukaku, De Bruyne has been troubled by injuries at Napoli in recent months, managing just 21 games in all competitions for the club because of a long-term hamstring absence. His lack of fitness was evident against Iran. His runs weren’t as penetrating, his passing was off, and there was an uncharacteristic moment late in the second half when he lost the ball in the defensive third to Saeid Ezatolahi and was relieved when the Iran defender failed to take advantage of a free strike at goal.
When he was substituted in favour of Matias Fernandez-Pardo in the 87th minute, De Bruyne looked spent, but he will need to go again in the final group game against New Zealand later this week because Belgium must avoid defeat to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Salah, meanwhile, delivered a second-half performance against New Zealand that eased the pressure on his team. When Egypt needed their big man to deliver, he did just that with a goal that was like many he scored for Liverpool — a left-foot strike from just inside the penalty area — and a corner that resulted in a headed goal by Trézéguet. Salah inspired Egypt’s first-ever World Cup win, and he moved to within one goal of equalling his country’s scoring record — a record held by coach Hassan. According to Opta, Salah was involved in more chances (10: five shots, five chances created) during the game than any other player at this World Cup.
Belgium need De Bruyne or Lukaku to do the same against New Zealand, but the sad reality is that they might not have it in them anymore.
