LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah made his much-anticipated return to the Liverpool squad on Tuesday following the Africa Cup of Nations as the club prepare to face Marseille in the Champions League.&nbsp;A smiling Salah was put through his paces at the club&#39;s training center with the rest of Arne Slot&#39;s squad ahead of Wednesday&#39;s match in France.&nbsp;The return of the Egypt forward has been a major talking point after he took aim at Liverpool in an explosive interview early last month.&nbsp;Salah <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/liverpools-slot-says-no-issue-to-resolve-with-salah-after-outburst" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">accused</a> the club of throwing him &quot;under the bus&quot; after he was benched for three games in a row and said he had no relationship with Slot.&nbsp;But he appeared as a substitute in a 2-0 Premier League win against Brighton on December 13, providing an assist, and Slot subsequently said the club had moved on from the furore.&nbsp;Last week, Slot said he welcomed Salah&#39;s <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/van-dijk-wants-leader-salah-to-stay-at-liverpool" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">return</a>, refusing to divulge the content of his conversations with the 33-year-old, whose team finished fourth at the Africa Cup of Nations.&nbsp;Slot said before Saturday&#39;s 1-1 draw against struggling Burnley he was unsure whether the forward would face Marseille.&nbsp;But on Tuesday afternoon Liverpool said Salah had been named in the 20-man squad for the trip to France.&nbsp;&quot;Mohamed Salah is included having returned to the club after representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations,&quot; a statement on the club&#39;s official website said.&nbsp;Liverpool are currently ninth in the league phase of the Champions League.&nbsp;The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16 while teams placed from ninth to 24th face a play-off round.&nbsp;Salah is Liverpool&#39;s third-highest goalscorer of all time with 250 goals in 421 appearances, winning two Premier League titles and the Champions League since joining from Roma in 2017.&nbsp;He signed a lucrative new two-year contract last year as he played a starring role in guiding Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.&nbsp;But he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool&#39;s struggles this season, managing just five goals in all competitions.&nbsp;Liverpool&#39;s Premier League defense collapsed with a run of six defeats in seven matches starting in late September.&nbsp;The club are now unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions but remain 14 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Football

Mohamed Salah returned to Liverpool’s squad after AFCON for their Champions League trip to Marseille, easing recent tensions with Arne Slot as the club chase knockout qualification amid mixed domestic form and improving results lately.

Salah back in Liverpool squad after AFCON

AGADIR, Morocco: Mohamed Salah scored as 10-man Egypt beat South Africa 1-0 in Agadir on Friday to become the first qualifiers for the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.&nbsp;The Liverpool star converted a penalty on 45 minutes, and South Africa were denied a spot-kick late in the second half when Yasser Ibrahim appeared to handle the ball inside the box.&nbsp;Salah came to Morocco after not starting in five Liverpool matches -- his omission leading to an outburst against manager Arne Slot.&nbsp;Egypt were reduced to 10 men in first-half added time when right-back Mohamed Hany was shown a second yellow card for a stamp, followed by a red.&nbsp;After two rounds in Group B, record seven-time champions Egypt have six points and are guaranteed a top-two finish and a place in the round of 16.&nbsp;South Africa have three points, and Angola and Zimbabwe one each after they drew 1-1 in Marrakesh earlier.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m very happy for the result, for sure. It was a tough game, they dominated most of the time. It&#39;s a team that can keep the ball for a long time so I think we had a good gameplan, it worked,&quot; said Salah.&nbsp;&quot;We walked away with the three points, it&#39;s the most important thing. The atmosphere is incredible. Hopefully we can carry on like this.&quot;&nbsp;The first chance fell to Salah after 11 minutes, but he could not move forward quickly enough to connect with a low cross from Hany.&nbsp;That the majority of the crowd were supporting the Pharaohs became obvious soon after when the Burundi referee ignored Zizo appeals for a free-kick, and loud whistling enveloped the stadium.&nbsp;When Salah delivered a free-kick into the heart of the South African area, three Egyptians darted forward, but none could connect with the ball.&nbsp;Salah closely policed&nbsp;Midway through the opening half a pattern had developed -- Egypt were pushing forward regularly while South Africa defended with calmness and solid tackling.&nbsp;When Teboho Mokoena fouled Omar Marmoush just outside the D, he was yellow carded. However, the Manchester City striker fired the resultant free-kick wide.&nbsp;As the first half progressed the sun broke out in the southern coastal city -- a welcome sight for players and spectators with many earlier group matches staged in torrential rain.&nbsp;A rare South Africa attack ended disappointingly as Lyle Foster struck a weak shot that was comfortably saved by 37-year-old Mohamed El Shenawy.&nbsp;Awarded a free-kick close to the touchline, South Africa performed an intricate, multi-pass move that ended tamely as El Shenawy clutched a cross.&nbsp;Salah was being closely policed by Aubrey Modiba and as half-time drew near the Liverpool star retreated into the Egyptian half in order to retain possession.&nbsp;Then, as the Egypt captain chased a loose ball with Khuliso Mudau, the South African right-back raised his left arm, striking an eye of Salah.&nbsp;Amid Egyptian protests, the Burundian referee viewed the incident on a VAR monitor and pointed to the penalty spot.&nbsp;A lengthy delay before the kick was taken could not have eased the nerves of Salah, but he comfortably converted the penalty as Ronwen Williams dived in the wrong direction.&nbsp;More drama erupted in added time when Hany stamped on Mokoena, leading to a second yellow card for the defender.&nbsp;South Africa, with a numerical advantage, attacked more as the second half progressed, but Egypt came close to a second goal with Williams foiling substitute Emam Ashour after a quick free-kick.&nbsp;El Shenawy displayed his agility with 15 minutes remaining, using his right hand to tip to safety a low shot from Foster. It was one of several saves that kept Egypt ahead.

Mohamed Salah’s first-half penalty earned 10-man Egypt a 1-0 win over South Africa in Agadir, sending the seven-time champions into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage after a hard-fought Group B encounter match.

Articles tagged with "Mohamed Salah"

Salah back in Liverpool squad after AFCON

Salah helps 10-man Egypt beat South Africa and book last-16 place