Jamie Carragher hits out at Egypt over Mohamed Salah penalty decision

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Jamie Carragher has questioned Egypt’s decision to name Mohamed Salah as their fifth penalty taker in Sunday’s shoot-out defeat against Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Salah came up short in the AFCON final | Visionhaus/GettyImages

© Provided by 90min Salah came up short in the AFCON final | Visionhaus/GettyImagesAfter 120 minutes could not separate the two sides, penalties were needed and Salah was fifth on the list for Egypt, but he didn’t even get to step up as team-mates Mohamed Abdelmonem and Mohanad Lasheen both missed earlier efforts.

The Liverpool superstar had also been disappointing prior to the shootout, struggling to consistently impact the game, although Egypt generally were very limited in that capacity.

In the shootout, Reds team-mate Sadio Mane went fifth for Senegal, converting his effort, despite missing from the spot in normal time, and ending it before Salah had even had a go.

“That is why your best penalty taker should never go fifth,” Carragher wrote on Twitter. “Mo Salah not taking a penalty in a shootout in a final is madness.

“Also happened to [Cristiano] Ronaldo years ago for Portugal vs Spain.”

Carragher then revealed that Steven Gerrard was down to go fifth in Liverpool’s famous Champions League final victory over AC Milan in 2005, but he wasn’t the team’s official penalty taker at that point and was put there because of his ability to handle the pressure.

In chimed fellow ex-Liverpool star Dietmar Hamann, who took and scored the first penalty that night in Istanbul: “Best penalty taker should go first.”

When quizzed whether Salah may have gone fifth because of that very ability to handle the moment- just as Mane did for Senegal – Carragher wondered just how much of a role Salah had in the decision.

“That’s the theory or someone who the manager thinks can handle pressure moments,” he continued. “I’m interested in if it’s the managers decision or the player.”

Jamie Carragher hits out at Egypt over Mohamed Salah penalty decision (msn.com)