Mohamed Salah was back among the goals in Egypt’s 2-0 victory over Ethiopia on Friday night, ending what has been an unusually dry run of form in front of goal.
Liverpool’s no.11 hasn’t netted from open play in his last five games in all competitions for the Reds, with his only goals in that period coming from the spot against Southampton. But he remedied that on the international stage when he scored after half an hour in Ethiopia thanks to an impressive touch and finish from a central area.
Salah completed the full 90 minutes as the Pharaohs took a step closer to World Cup qualification.
On the other side of the world, two Reds went head to head in Montevideo as Argentina beat Uruguay 1-0 courtesy of Thiago Almada’s strike. It was a fiery affair, with Alexis Mac Allister, who played 80 minutes, involved in an on-field coming together. Surprisingly, it was Darwin Nunez who sought to calm his club team-mate on another difficult night for the former Benfica man.
Nunez didn’t manage a single shot in the game and was replaced in the latter stages despite Uruguay searching for a goal. It comes after a poor run of form for the Reds, and the forward admitted he was looking to ‘forget’ about his Liverpool situation during the international break.
In Europe, Curtis Jones started from a deeper midfield role as Thomas Tuchel grabbed his first win as England manager. Jones lined up alongside Declan Rice in an attacking line-up named by the former Chelsea boss, while goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane ensured the Three Lions took three points from their opening group-stage game.
As for the youth team, England’s Under-21s played out an entertaining 5-3 encounter in France, with the hosts emerging victorious. The talented XI featured several Premier League regulars, including Harvey Elliott, who netted England’s second goal of the game, with James McAtee and Liam Delap also on target.
Liverpool’s Stefan Bajcetic also played for Spain Under-21s in the 2-2 draw against Czech Republic. He was introduced as a half-time change but replaced before the end of the game.
