The 2017/18 UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg was being billed as the opportunity for Mohamed Salah to show his former employers exactly what he can do. Considering the great season the Egyptian has had at Liverpool, there was a fear he would come in for some rough treatment from his former teammates.
In the opening exchanges of the match, Roma appeared to have the edge on Liverpool. Their three at the back system and the high line was working to nullify Liverpool and Salah’s attacking threat and the crowd noise was beginning to fade.
source: Sports Illustrated
It’s at times like this when things have not quite gone to plan in the opening stages of a big match, that you need your key player to produce something special. Step forward, Mohamed Salah.
There appeared to be little danger on the left side of the Roma penalty area when Salah picked up the ball and the Liverpool forward was yet to make an impact on the game as the clock ticked on to 35 minutes. However, what happened next stunned the Roma players and sparked the Anfield crowd into life as Salah shifted the ball onto his left foot and curled a sensational strike into the top corner.
There was nothing Alisson, the Roma goalkeeper, could do and the ball hit the angle of post and crossbar before dropping into the back of the net.
Salah held his hands up as if to apologise to his former colleagues and Roma fans for what he produced but there was no need. Whether you were supporting Liverpool, Roma or any other football club on the planet, all you could do was applaud and admire the goal.
source: Boston Herald
The great thing about Salah’s goal was not only that it was technically brilliant and came out of the blue but it changed the whole atmosphere inside the stadium and lifted the belief of his team.
Following the goal, Liverpool started to bomb forward in numbers and as Roma became desperate, they also committed men to the attacking third. This left them open to the counter-attack and right on half-time, following good work from Roberto Firmino, Salah raced through one-on-one with the keeper and deftly lifted the ball over him to send it rolling into the back of the net.
That goal sent Liverpool in with a two-goal cushion and left the home fans buzzing and looking forward to more in the second half.
Salah’s work did not disappoint and he set up Sadio Mane for Liverpool’s third goal and rolled the ball across the six-yard box for Firmino to tap the ball in for their fourth. Only when Salah was substituted did Roma come to life and they scored two late goals to keep things interesting for the second leg.
However, all the talk following the final whistle was about one player and Mohamed Salah captured the headlines again for another world-class performance.
Featured Image source: Stadium Astro
