Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • AS IT HAPPENED: Egypt 1-3 Russia - Mohamed Salah consolation as hosts breeze past the Pharaohs


AS IT HAPPENED: Egypt 1-3 Russia - Mohamed Salah consolation as hosts breeze past the Pharaohs

1 / 6
2 / 6
3 / 6
4 / 6
5 / 6
6 / 6
Updated 19 June 2018
Arab News
Follow

AS IT HAPPENED: Egypt 1-3 Russia - Mohamed Salah consolation as hosts breeze past the Pharaohs

Updated 19 June 2018
Arab News

FULL TIME — RUSSIA 3-1 EGYPT: As much as the Egyptains put up a good fight, they were ultimately beaten by the better, more clinical side. There will, of course, be many a 'what if' concerning Salah — what if he'd played against Uruguay? What if he had been at 100 percent fitness? — but while those answers will never been known, what is not in doubt is that the scoreline in Saint Petersburg did not lie. 

10.40PM: Egypt are seeing a lot of the ball in this final period of the match but, as with the previous 160 minutes of the tournament, they are unable to fashion even a decent half-chance. There lack of cutting edge has cost them so far in Russia. 

ANOTHER SALAH STAT

10.32PM: ANOTHER PENALTY FOR EGYPT? Kutepov looks like he's wrestled Mohsen to the ground but the referee waves play on. It is not referred by the VAR committee and time is running out for Egypt. 

SHARPSHOOTER: Salah celebrates after slotting home his penalty. 

10.29PM — GOAL FOR EGYPT 3-1 to RUSSIA: Salah may not have been at his best so far but he makes no mistake from teh spot smashing the ball emphatically into the back of the net. Can that act as a springboard for an unlikley comeback?

10. 28PM — PENALTY FOR EGYPT: Salah is brought down on the edge of the area. The referee initially calls for a free-kick but that is changed to a penalty after a VAR review. Can he score to inject hope into Egypt players and fans?

FORLORN FANS: Egypt fans trying to enjoy what is unfldoing in front of them in Saint Petersburg. 

 

10.17PM - GOAL FOR RUSSIA 3-0: A disastrous two minutes for Salah and Co. Dzyuba finds room on the edge of the area before hitting a great curled shot to give El Shenawy no chance. This is gae over for Egypt and they are on the verge of going out of the tournament. 

10.15PM - GOAL FOR RUSSIA 2-0: What a tournament this man is having, Cheryshev scores his third goal of the World Cup after great work by Fernandes, a former Brazil international, down the right , a well worked goal. And now Egypt's hopes of making the knockout stages are well and truly on the brink. 

HAPPY HOSTS: The Russians celebrate their fortunate opener. 

10.05PM — SALAH SHOT: The Egyptian star finds room on the edge of the area, enough room to shoot with his trusty left boot. It's well blocked and goes for a corner.

10PM — GOAL FOR RUSSIA 1-0:  A nightmare start to the second-half for Egypt. Golovin crossed the ball in but for some reason rather than catch it El Shenawy punched the ball straight into the path of  Zobnin. A terrible shot hits Fathy who can only watch as  the ball squirmed past his past his own keeper from about 12 yards out. Bad luck but partly of Egypt's own making. They have it all to do now. 

FRIENDLY FANS: This is a great photo of Mexican and Colombian supporters lefting an Egypt fan so he can watch his heroes. 

 

 

HALF-TIME: It has been a close first 45 minutes in Saint Petersburg, neither side really showing much quality. Both coaches will be happy with the scoreline, the key thing for Egypt was to keep it tight and not go behind. The task for the second-half is to build on that, but with Salah only showing glimpses of his class it will be difficult. It is clear the Liverpool man is protect his injured shoulder and not making the dashing runs past defenders that we all got used to over the past 10 months. 

9.42PM — STAT ATTACK: It's been a tight first-half so far as these stats show.

 

9.37PM — SALAH SHOT: It has taken time but Salah gets his first shot in. On the edge of the penalty area he fakes to go on to his right before improvising and hitting shot with his left that only narrowly goes wide. Promising signs for Egypt here. 

9.35PM: Elneney illustrates that the Pharaohs are far from a one-man team as he floats a wonderful pass into the dangerzone. Mohsen again gets a head to it, but you cannot help buyt feel the big man has to do better as the ball drops easily into Akinfeev's hands. 

9.33PM: A good period for Egypt, they force the first corner, which they then subsequently wasted by not beating the first defender (criminal!). But a minute later they work a good opportunity for Mohsen at the far post, only good Russian defending prevented the striker from getting a better header in. 

9.30PM — ONE TO WATCH: Golovin is once agains having a good game in the Russia midfield. Elneny and Co need to quieten him down if they are to prevent the hosts creating good chance after good chance. 

9.24PM: Egypt will be happy with the first 25 minutes, having weathered the early Russian onslaught they have come back into the match and, as with the Uruguay match, showing composure on the ball. Can they go up a level from here? 

9.20PM: It's been a bit of a bitty start from both sides as this photo shows...

 

9.14PM: CLOSE! 'Trezeguet' comes so close with a curling effort from the edge of the box... Egypt finding their feet in this game ...

9.12PM: Mohamed Salah still yet to come into the game, but Egypt looking much brighter than in the first minutes...

9.05PM: Russia commanding the early stages and looking likely to score...our man Salah yet to make a considerable impact...

8.55PM: The anthems have been sung - a rousing rendition from the Russians - and we're ready to get this game under way...

8.50PM: And here he is — Salah is out warming up and looking ok, well at least from our vantage point he is...

 

8.40PM: At the risk of stating the obvious, all eyes will be on Salah tonight. In Saint Petersburg, the city of Russian royalty, can he live up to the mantle of Egyptian King? There's little doubting Cuper's side need him to be at or near his best, can his shoulder take the strain, both literally and metaphorically? 

For Russia the lineup is as expected, Cheryshev starts having come of the bench against Saudi Arabia and scored a brilliant brace. 

 

8.30PM: Both lineups are out here they are...

RUSSIA Akinfeev, Fernandes, Kutepov, Ignashevich, Zhirkov,  Zobnin, Gazinsky, Samedov, Golovin, Cheryshev, Dzyuba. Subs:  Lunev, Semenov, Kuzyaev, Dzagoev, Smolov, Kudryashov, Granat,  Aleksey Miranchuk, Anton Miranchuk, Erokhin, Smolnikov, Gabulov.

EGYPT El Shenawy, Fathi, Gabr, Hegazi, Abdel-Shafy, Hamed,  Elneny, Salah, Said, Trezeguet, Mohsen. Subs: El Hadary,  Elmohamady, Gaber, Morsy, Kahraba, Ashraf, Sobhi, Hamdy,  Shikabala, Samir, Warda, Ekramy. 

 

8.20PM: There is little doubt the return of Salah will give the Pharaohs a big boost, just a quick glance at his stats during his record-breaking season at Liverpool will tell you why.. 

 

 

8PM — BIG NEWS: Egypt go into the crunch clash against Russia knowing defeat will all but end their hopes of making it to the second round, but also buoyed by the return of their talisman, Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian ace has been named, as expected, in Hector Cuper’s starting XI to face the hosts in Saint Petersburg having missed the 1-0 defeat to Uruguay on Friday.
It may be expecting too much to expect the 26-year-old to provide the spark so missing from Egypt’s loss to the South Americans — there is still some confusion over just how well his shoulder has recovered since injuring it in the Champions League final — but there is little doubt that for all the side’s calm and poise in possession they lacked a cutting edge and Cuper is doubtless hoping Salah can provide it this evening.
The hosts come into the match relaxed and, thanks to the Salah show, not the center of attention. Their 5-0 opening-day win over Saudi Arabia has both removed doubts about the side’s ability and set them up well for a stab at making the knockout stages.
Can Salah upset their home party? The next few hours will tell.

Topics: Arab Nations at Russia Egypt egypt football Mohamed Salah Egypt v Russia World Cup

F1 champion Max Verstappen takes pole for Qatar Grand Prix

Updated 2 sec ago
Follow

F1 champion Max Verstappen takes pole for Qatar Grand Prix

Updated 2 sec ago
DOHA: Newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position for five months on Saturday when he beat George Russell in a tense and tight qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver had forecast he would continue to struggle for pace after a disappointing showing in the earlier sprint race, but late set-up changes enabled him to clock a fastest lap in one minute and 20.520 seconds.
Russell was second for Mercedes just 0.055 seconds adrift of pole ahead of Norris, who needed a late lap to grab third for McLaren, 0.252 off the pace, ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the second Mercedes ahead of Carlos Sainz, in the second Ferrari, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Sergio Perez, in the second Red Bull.
Kevin Magnussen was 10th for Haas.
It was Verstappen’s career 41st pole and his ninth of the season.
“I didn’t expect that,” said Verstappen. “Honestly! But well done to the team to give me a car that feels a bit more connected — and once the car is a bit more together you feel you can push harder.”
The final seconds of the session saw Verstappen criticized by Russell for running too slowly in front of him.
“Super-dangerous by Verstappen,” said the Mercedes driver, whose thoughts prompted the stewards to investigate.
“I ended up going through the gravel and all over the floor it felt like it was scraping,” said Russell.
Norris admitted his disappointment at missing out on a front row start.
“It’s not what we hoped for, but it was the maximum we could do. My lap was pretty good, but not quick enough.”
Hamilton, set for Ferrari next year, finished sixth, admitting: “I don’t really care. I just want to get through these races, do my job, turn up and look forward to the winter break.”
After the early laps, Verstappen led before Russell went top in 1:21.519, a time that was seven-tenths quicker than Hamilton’s best as he struggled to extract matching pace on his way to ninth.
With four minutes to go, Russell offered Hamilton a tow which lifted him to sixth, 0.118 off the pace in a tight field before Russell trimmed two-tenths off his best lap in 1:21.241, beating Leclerc by 0.037 with Sainz third ahead of Norris.
Out went Alex Albon and his Williams team-mate Franco Colapinto along with Liam Lawson of RB, Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
Russell began Q3 in the same style, clocking 1:21.161, but his top spot was quickly taken by Verstappen in 1:21.085, Red Bull’s set-up changes, following the sprint, paying dividends.
On his second run, Russell improved to go top again by 0.001 seconds, but it was not enough in improving conditions to resist a revitalized Verstappen, or Norris, who clocked 1:20.983.
It looked solid for McLaren, but in a final flurry of laps Verstappen went top in 1:20.687 with Hamilton rising to fifth, within 0.026 of Russell in fourth, and Alonso and Magnussen claiming top ten spots.
The ‘top 10 shootout’ began with Russell topping the pile in 1:20.575 ahead of Leclerc on their opening runs when Norris ran off at Turn Five and failed to clock a time before Verstappen slotted into second.
This left McLaren in need of a strong late lap in the final seconds as they all ran again and Verstappen, against his own forecasts, secured pole ahead of Russell and Norris — his first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix in June.

Milinkovic-Savic gets Al-Hilal back to winning ways

Updated 12 min 54 sec ago
John Duerden
Follow

Milinkovic-Savic gets Al-Hilal back to winning ways

  • Milinkovic-Savic lined up a free-kick just next to the ‘D’ and then curled the ball over the wall perfectly and into the top corner
Updated 12 min 54 sec ago
John Duerden

RIYADH: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was the hero as Al-Hilal came from behind to win 2-1 at Al-Shabab on Saturday and move back to within two points of Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad.

It was a dramatic Riyadh Derby with both teams reduced to ten men but thanks to the intervention of the Serbian midfielder, who scored both goals, a poor week for the champions ended on a winning note.

They feared the worst in the sixth minute when Abderrazak Hamdallah struck to put Al-Shabab ahead. Daniel Podence broke down the right and his looping cross eluded three defenders but the Moroccan forward found his space and stopped to find his spot past the diving Yassine Bounou for his fifth goal of the season.

Just eight minutes later however, Hilal were level. This time it was Joao Cancelo who supplied the –more delicate – cross from the right and there was Milinkovic-Savic to nod home from close range. 

Hamdallah looked to have restored Shabab’s lead just after the half hour but the goal was ruled out for offside. A minute before the break however, Al-Hilal were reduced to ten men as former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a straight red for bringing down Hamdallah as he was bearing down on goal.

The one-man advantage did not last long as two yellow cards in the first 15 minutes of the second half saw Nader Al-Sharari dismissed and Al-Shabab reduced to ten.

Two minutes after the hour, Al-Hilal were ahead. Milinkovic-Savic lined up a free-kick just next to the ‘D’ and then curled the ball over the wall perfectly and into the top corner. 

After throwing away a 2-0 lead a week earlier to lose 3-2 to Al-Khaleej, Al-Hilal held on to this one to move on to 31 points from 12 games, two behind Al-Ittihad who, earlier in the day, won 4-0 at Ettifaq.

Topics: football soccer Saudi Arabia Saudi Pro League SPL Al-Hilal SPL Al-Shabab

Related

Sport
Al-Hilal out to banish minor slump against Riyadh rivals Al-Shabab
Sport
Al-Hilal book spot in knockout stage of AFC Champions League Elite

Musiala saves Bayern from Klassiker defeat in draw at Dortmund in Bundesliga

Updated 40 min 4 sec ago
AP
Follow

Musiala saves Bayern from Klassiker defeat in draw at Dortmund in Bundesliga

  • Leroy Sané fired the ball into the Dortmund wall of defenders and Michael Olize sent the loose ball back in for the unmarked Musiala
  • It was the first goal Bayern conceded in eight games across all competitions
Updated 40 min 4 sec ago
AP

BERLIN: Jamal Musiala scored late to save Bayern Munich from their first Bundesliga loss of the season with a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund in “der Klassiker” on Saturday.
Musiala – Bayern’s best attacking threat after Harry Kane went off with a first-half injury – headed the equalizer in the 85th minute after a Bayern free kick.
Leroy Sané fired the ball into the Dortmund wall of defenders and Michael Olize sent the loose ball back in for the unmarked Musiala.
Jamie Gittens provided the highlight of the first half when he left Konrad Laimer in his wake and raced clear before blasting the ball past Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal in the 27th.
It was the first goal Bayern conceded in eight games across all competitions.
Kane went off with an apparent right hamstring injury shortly afterward.
Bayern mounted unrelenting pressure after the break with the Dortmund defenders increasingly content just to kick the ball away. The visitors kept pushing until Musiala duly scored.
Wirtz to the rescue
Florian Wirtz again made the difference for Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-1 win at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso initially rested his star player, but sent Wirtz on for the last half-hour with the score 1-1. Wirtz duly whipped in a brilliant cross for Patrik Schick to score the winner with his chest in the 71st minute.
It was the third straight game that Wirtz has set up a goal in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig humiliated
Leipzig, already five games without a win across all competitions, were humiliated 5-1 at home by Wolfsburg, a defeat that left coach Marco Rose in a tenuous position at the energy drink-backed club.
Wolfsburg piled on the pressure with two goals in two minutes by the fifth minute, before Algerian forward Mohammed Amoura got his second in the 16th.
There were whistles from the home fans after the goals, and again at the break after their team failed to muster a response.
It got worse after the break with Joakim Maehle heading Wolfsburg’s fourth.
Leipzig captain Willi Orban urged his teammates to fight when he pulled one back in the 82nd, but Wolfsburg substitute Kevin Behrens had the final say in stoppage time.
Demirović double
Ermedin Demirović equalized twice for Stuttgart to draw at Werder Bremen 2-2, Freiburg won against visiting Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1, and Augsburg defeated last-placed Bochum 1-0 at home.

Topics: Bayern Munich Jamal Musiala Harry Kane Borussia Dortmund

Related

Sport
Musiala scores a hat trick as Bayern Munich beat Mainz 4-0 in German Cup
Sport
Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

Saka stars in Arsenal rout at West Ham as Van Nistelrooy watches new team Leicester lose

Updated 48 min 45 sec ago
AP
Follow

Saka stars in Arsenal rout at West Ham as Van Nistelrooy watches new team Leicester lose

  • Saka was one of five different scorers for Arsenal at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday
  • A day after being hired as Leicester manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy witnessed at first hand the scale of his task to keep the team in the Premier League
Updated 48 min 45 sec ago
AP

LONDON: Inspired by Bukayo Saka, Arsenal scored five goals in a wild first half at West Ham before settling for a 5-2 win that lifted the team into second place in the English Premier League in its bid to chase down Liverpool.
Saka was one of five different scorers for Arsenal at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday and also had a hand in three goals, by Gabriel, Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard. Kai Havertz netted the other goal for Arsenal in its biggest league victory this season.
Since returning from the international break, Arsenal has beaten Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League, Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the Champions League and put another five goals past West Ham. The prolific run has coincided with the return to fitness of Odegaard, Arsenal’s playmaker and captain who missed two months with an ankle injury.
Arsenal trimmed the gap to Liverpool to six points ahead of the leader’s home match against beleaguered Manchester City on Sunday. Arsenal has been beaten to the title by City in each of the last two seasons but might be wanting Pep Guardiola ‘s team to pull off a victory at Anfield.
Saka, especially, is benefitting from Odegaard’s presence. The England winger already has 10 assists for the campaign — having played 12 of Arsenal’s 13 games — along with five goals.
All of the goals in the match were in the first half. It’s just the fourth time since the Premier League began in 1992 that seven goals were scored in a game before halftime.
Van Nistelrooy’s task
A day after being hired as Leicester manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy witnessed at first hand the scale of his task to keep the team in the Premier League.
Leicester was beaten at Brentford 4-1 on Saturday, with Van Nistelrooy sitting in the stands rather than in the dugout. He officially takes over as coach on Sunday after arriving as the replacement for the fired Steve Cooper.
Kevin Schade scored a hat trick and Yoane Wissa also netted for Brentford, which had to come from behind after Facunda Buonanotte’s 21st-minute opener.
Van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, will begin his first full-time managerial role in English soccer with Leicester in 16th place in the 20-team league and just one point above the relegation zone.
“We just had the messages last night (from Van Nistelrooy) when the appointment was made,” said Leicester first-team coach Ben Dawson, who took charge of the team against Brentford. “He wished everyone good luck and the plan is to catch up tomorrow at the training ground.”
Penalty record
Some history was made when Justin Kluivert converted a trio of penalties — in the third, 18th and 74th minutes — for Bournemouth in its 4-2 win at Wolverhampton. That had never been achieved before in a league game.
Kluivert said it was “amazing” to go into the history books but he was almost denied the opportunity.
“I was not completely sure I should allow him to take the third one,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said. “It is difficult I suppose, every time you shoot the first one, you give information to the keeper.”
Evanilson won each of the three penalties converted by Kluivert — and that was also a first in the Premier League.
Double blow
Newcastle lost Sweden striker Alexander Isak to a hip injury midway through the first half and then its lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.
Daniel Munoz scored the late equalizer to lift Palace out of the bottom three on goal difference.
“It’s an absolutely devastating blow for us,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said of giving up the late goal.
On Isak, Howe added: “It was a contact injury and not a muscle pull, which is good news for us. We hope he will recover quickly.”
Chris Wood smashed a penalty down the middle for his eighth goal of the season to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich.

Topics: Arsenal Bukayo Saka West Ham english Premier League

Related

Sport
Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes
Sport
Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League

Shahzaib Khan’s brilliant 159 powers Pakistan Under-19 to 43-run victory over India

Updated 44 min 9 sec ago
Follow

Shahzaib Khan’s brilliant 159 powers Pakistan Under-19 to 43-run victory over India

  • Khan’s extraordinary performance anchored Pakistan’s innings, helped them post 281 for 7
  • In reply, India were bundled out for 238 in 47.1 overs despite a fighting 67 by Nikhil Kumar
Updated 44 min 9 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Opener Shahzaib Khan’s scintillating 159 powered Pakistan Under-19 to a 43-run victory over arch-rivals India in a Group A match of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Shahzaib’s knock, spanning 147 balls and featuring five fours and 10 sixes, anchored Pakistan’s innings as they posted 281 for 7 in 50 overs.
India, in reply, were bundled out for 238 in 47.1 overs despite a fighting 67 by Nikhil Kumar.
The Mansehra-born opener shared a 160-run stand with Usman Khan (60 off 94 balls), setting a solid platform. Their partnership came on the back of impressive recent form, with Shahzaib and Usman scoring 330 and 314 runs, respectively, in a tri-series against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.
“There was a lot of seam movement, and the fast bowlers were getting good support,” Khan said after the match. “But after spending some time at the crease, when the spinners came on, I focused on dispatching deliveries in my range to the boundary.”
“By God’s grace, it worked out for me today,” he added.
Khan continued to dominate with a 71-run third-wicket stand with Muhammad Riazullah (27). Pakistan accelerated late in the innings, adding 74 runs in the last 10 overs, as captain Saad Baig’s decision to bat first paid off.
India’s Samarth Nagaraj was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-45, while Ayush Mhatre chipped in with 2-30.
India started their chase positively but lost early wickets. Abdul Subhan dismissed Mhatre (20) in the fourth over, while Ali Raza removed Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the next spell, leaving the team reeling at 28 for 2.
Usman Khan and Faham-ul-Haq continued to build pressure, reducing India to 81 for 4.
A 53-run partnership between Nikhil Kumar and Kiran Chormale (20) briefly revived India, but Faham broke the stand by dismissing Chormale.
Kumar’s valiant 77-ball 67 ended when he was caught off Naveed Ahmed Khan at 174, dashing India’s hopes of a recovery.
Ali Raza’s 3-36 led the bowling for Pakistan, with Abdul Subhan (2-45) and Faham-ul-Haq (2-41) providing crucial support.
Pakistan will next face the UAE on December 2 at the same venue.

Topics: Pakistan vs India India Pakistan cricket Pakistan cricket U19 Asia Cup

Latest updates

Will shaky ceasefire hold in Lebanon as tensions simmer in the neighborhood?
F1 champion Max Verstappen takes pole for Qatar Grand Prix
Musiala saves Bayern from Klassiker defeat in draw at Dortmund in Bundesliga
Saka stars in Arsenal rout at West Ham as Van Nistelrooy watches new team Leicester lose
France returns ancient artifacts to Ethiopia

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.