After the Pharaohs lost the AFCON final to Senegal on penalties, Jamie Carragher has criticized Egypt’s choice to leave Mohamed Salah as the fifth penalty taker.
In Sunday’s climax in Cameroon, Senegal and Egypt fought to a 0-0 draw over 120 minutes, forcing a shootout to determine who would be proclaimed Africa’s best squad.
Senegal’s fifth taker Sadio Mane smashed his spot-kick into the bottom corner to claim his country’s first-ever AFCON title after Egypt’s Mohamed Abdelmonem and Mohanad Lasheen both missed from 12 yards.
Salah, a Liverpool teammate, was set to take Egypt’s second penalty but was unable to do so. Carragher expressed his sentiments on Twitter, saying, ‘That is why your best penalty taker should never go fifth.’
‘It’s craziness that Mo Salah did not take a penalty for Egypt in a final shootout. This happened to Ronaldo in a match between Portugal and Spain a few years back.’
When asked about the fifth penalty in Liverpool’s legendary 3-2 shootout triumph in the 2005 Champions League final that was never attempted, Carragher said, ‘Stevie [Gerrard] took the fifth penalty, but he wasn’t our official penalty taker at the time!’ Rafa chose him last because he thought he’d be the most able to handle the strain.’
‘The best penalty taker should go first,’ remarked Dietmar Hamann, who took and scored the first penalty in Istanbul’.
When asked by journalist Sid Lowe if there was a case to be made that the fifth penalty taker needed to be someone who could handle the strain if the situation arose, Carragher responded, ‘that’s the theory, or someone who the management believes is capable of handling high-pressure situations.’ I’m curious if it’s the manager’s or the player’s decision.’
The Sky Sports analyst also thought it odd that Egypt won the coin toss before the penalty shootout on Sunday night, but chose to let Senegal go first.
‘Another foolish thing in shootouts is when teams win the toss and let the opposition take the first penalty,’ he remarked. ‘A commentator stated that this occurred on Friday in #MUNMID.’
Middlesbrough beat Manchester United 8-7 in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup on Friday night, with the Red Devils winning the toss but opting to go second.
The first 15 penalties were all scored at Old Trafford before Anthony Elanga’s shot went over the crossbar.