Salah's World Cup in doubt after 'cynical, horrible' tackle
Mohamed Salah’s World Cup campaign is in doubt after a controversial tackle described as a “disgrace” by some.
The Egyptian star was forced off in the first half of the Champions League final with an apparent shoulder injury.
Salah was pulled down by Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos and fell awkwardly on his left shoulder.
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Replays showed Ramos holding Salah’s arm beneath his body as the pair crashed to the ground.
Many angry fans took to Twitter to accuse the Real defender of purposely attempting to hurt the Egyptian maestro.
Honestly, that was a disgrace from Sergio Ramos. He's ended @MoSalah's night, and possibly his World Cup with a cynical, horrible foul. Believe me, Ramos knew what he was doing there, dragging the arm down like that and holding. Red card all day. #UCLfinal
— David Maddock (@MaddockMirror) May 26, 2018
Sergio Ramos, a master of the dark arts, injured another player.
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) May 26, 2018
Fair play to Real Madrid…..unfair play to Ramos. With salah the result probably would of been different.#ramosthefiddler
— Howard Donald (@HowardDonald) May 26, 2018
Here’s that Salah challenge again. If you think that was accidental you haven’t seen Ramos play before. He tried to break his arm. Changed the game.
— Gregarious (@lfcgregarious) May 26, 2018
I also think #Ramos meant to injure #Salah and he also went to injure #Karius as he know or strong point was Salah and our weak point would have been Migs if he had to come on, horrible prat.
— Moley (@Moley_LFC) May 26, 2018
However others hit back, saying Salah was instead holding Ramos, and the resulting injury was in no way intentional.
Sorry to destroy your narrative, but Salah pinned Ramos's arm. Ramos's arm is clearly free. Mo played it dirty on that play and he got hurt. Not Ramos' fault.#Salah #Ramos #CAMPEONES #UCLfinal #HalaMadid pic.twitter.com/qaMALlIDjK
— Faizan/ CHAMP13NS (@Faizans_7) May 26, 2018
Really not sure why Ramos is getting panned. He wrapped his arm around his opponent. If that’s done in the knowledge he’ll end his game I’m asking him for next week’s lottery numbers.
— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) May 26, 2018
Footage later emerged of another potentially dirty play from Ramos, who appeared to elbow Liverpool keeper Karius in the head moments before he made a goalkeeping blunder.
After the match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked about the severity of the injury and the chances Salah could play at the World Cup.
If you’re a Liverpool fan, an Egypt fan, or just a soccer fan, you might want to look away:
Jurgen Klopp asked about Mohamed Salah's injury and how serious it is: "Very." Klopp then asked if his World Cup is in jeopardy: "Yes, it is. Anything is possible… It doesn't look good." #Egypt #LFC #UCLfinal
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 26, 2018
BBC reporting Salah will miss the World Cup Diagnosis now a dislocated shoulder. #UCLFinal pic.twitter.com/05Yc7HXwKW
— Adriano Del Monte (@adriandelmonte) May 26, 2018
Nothing is official, but it’s also not wrong to be worried. Salah stayed down on the field writhing in pain, and was attended to by Liverpool’s training staff before being helped up and walking to the sideline.
He tried to come back on, but was down on the field again a minute or two later. This time, he knew he could not continue. There was agony all over his face. He was in tears as he walked off the field.
Salah was replaced by Adam Lallana after 30 minutes, and the Reds went on to lose 3-1.
Salah’s absence in the second half will significantly diminish Liverpool’s attacking threat. In his first season at Anfield, the Egyptian forward broke the Premier League record for goals in a 38-game season with 32.
Now the entire nation of Egypt holds its breath, hoping Salah will be healthy for the country’s first World Cup appearance since 1990. Its first game in Russia is on June 15 against Uruguay.
Later in the first half, Real Madrid right back Dani Carvajal also left the game with a leg injury. He was replaced by Nacho. Carvajal is expected to start for Spain at the World Cup, so his injury is also a concern beyond Saturday.
With Henry Bushnell – Yahoo Sports