Mohamed Salah makes scoring return but cannot stop rampant Russia

Russia are on the brink of qualifying for the last 16 after a dominant second-half display against Egypt, despite the return of Mohamed Salah.
Japan and Senegal surprised the two favourites in Group H, Colombia and Poland, while Russia closed in on the last 16 with a win over Egypt.
After Russia’s big win over Egypt, the FC crew assess what’s going right for the hosts and reflect on Egypt’s choice to rest Mo Salah vs. Uruguay.
The hosts Russia continue their fine World Cup form, Japan beat 10-man Colombia and Senegal become the first African nation to win at the 2018 World Cup.

ST. PETERSBURG — Three points on Russia’s 3-1 win vs. Egypt in Group A at the World Cup on Tuesday.

1. Salah cannot stop impressive hosts

The buildup to the game was unsurprisingly centered around Mohamed Salah, who was coming back from the left-shoulder injury he suffered while playing for Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final.

Much was expected of the player of the year in England and Salah was certainly a potential star at this World Cup but, five days into the tournament, Egypt need a miracle to make the knockout stage. And part of the reason is that this was not the Salah that wowed for his club.

Isolated in the first half, with one shot that went narrowly wide his best moment, he missed an excellent chance to equalize in the 56th minute. By the time he did net a penalty, Russia were 3-0 in front and Egypt were searching for nothing more than consolation.

The injury, caused in a clash with Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos 24 days ago, looked to be troubling Salah, for whom this was the first game since. He wasn’t his usual bustling self and clearly needs time to get into rhythm. Time, though, is something Salah and Egypt no longer have.

Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov handed 34-year-old Yuri Zhirkov the unenviable task of marking Salah, and the full-back came out on top. It means that we won’t be seeing one of the world’s best talents for much longer at this tournament.

There was little Mohamed Salah could do to stop Russia easing to victory.

2. Russia’s knockout-round dream set to become reality

Two games. Six points. Eight goals scored, one conceded. This World Cup is going better than even the most optimistic Russian could have dreamt. Talking to fans of the host nation ahead of the tournament, expectations were low, even if qualifying from Group A didn’t look impossible.

But Russia are on the brink of the knockout rounds for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union. It would take a mighty Saudi Arabia upset and a huge swing in goal difference to stop them advancing, and their involvement at least until the end of June lends the tournament a boost in terms of local interest.

The confidence flowing through Russia side was palpable. Backed by the home crowd and the boost of a 5-0 demolition versus Saudi Arabia in the opening game, they went close twice in the sixth minute through Sergey Ignashevich’s header and a shot from Aleksandr Golovin, before Denis Cheryshev shot just over 13 minutes later.

The opening goal, scored two minutes into the second half, came when Golovin scuffed a long-distance shot — or was it a cross? — into the penalty area and Ahmed Fathi, under pressure from striker Artem Dzyuba, inadvertently diverted the ball into the corner of his own goal.

Emboldened, Russia pounced again with two goals in three minutes to seal victory. First, a neat Cheryshev finish — his third goal of the tournament — came after a clever pass from Mario Fernandes, before Dzyuba turned scorer himself.

This isn’t a Russia team that contains overwhelming quality — just one of the starting XI plays outside his home country — and it isn’t ambitious in terms of playing style. But Cherchesov has them well organized in a 4-4-1-1 formation and, with Golovin and Cheryshev providing flair and an aging defense holding up, it doesn’t look like a side that will be going down without a battle.

As far as a run to the semifinals goes, a la hosts South Korea in 2002, that remains unlikely, but just making the knockout stage will be deemed a major success.

3. Egypt poised to make early exit

The draw did not fall kindly for Egypt, and playing Uruguay in the opening fixture was always likely to be difficult, even before Salah was hurt. The late concession of a winner to Jose Gimenez stung further.

Egyptian fans have added to this tournament off the field. They came in their droves, excited about their team having one of the very best players in the world. And with Group A one of the weakest, there was an excellent opportunity to make history.

But if Saudi Arabia don’t defeat Uruguay, which would be a major upset, then Egypt will be the first team to be officially unable to make the knockout rounds.

Tom Marshall covers Liga MX and the Mexican national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @MexicoWorldCup.

Tagged with:

livesportchannels.com provides all the info that matters to sports betting fans and variety of legal betting sites to choose. Including previews, match reports, previous meetings and other great stories to help with your betting , odd comparison. We give you betting offers and Live Betting offers, from our official legal betting partners, on all the major sports including Football, Tennis, Cricket, Golf, Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker and much more. THIS WEBSITE IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY WAGERING, BETTING, GAMING OR GAMBLING IN ANY FORM OR MANNER. 18+ Responsible Betting |Gambling Therapy | Protecting Minors | GamCare | Privacy Policy | Personal Data Request