EPL stars wither in Cameroonian heat

In Yaounde

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah scored a decisive penalty to power the Pharaohs of Egypt into the quarter-finals last Wednesday.

The seven-time champions defeated Cote d’Ivoire 5-4 on penalties after their round of 16 match ended in a goalless draw following 120 minutes of an engaging tussle at the Japoma Stadium in Douala.

Egypt had scored just two goals in their three previous matches with Salah, easily one of the best players in the world at the moment, finding it difficult reproduce his outstanding form at Liverpool.

The penalty was Salah’s second goal in four matches. The Liverpool forward and Pharaohs captain known for skilful dribbling and finishing came to the tournament as reigning top scorer in the English Premier League with 16 goals from 20 matches played.

However, Salah has yet to hit the high notes here in Cameroon.

Egypt face Morocco in the quarter-finals on Sunday at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium.
Salah is among over 30 Europe-based African stars who have so far registered mixed fortunes at Africa’s premier football tournament.

Salah told journalists at a recent press conference that fans should support the Egyptian national team as a whole and not a particular player in the squad. His Liverpool teammate, Sadio Mane has also had a nondescript campaign thus far. He scored just one goal at the group stages via a penalty.

Ironically, it was the only goal the star-packed Senegal scored in their three-game group outing.

Mane did score his second goal in their laboured 2-0 win over nine-man Cape Verde in their last-16 match but has clearly struggled on the Cameroonian pitches by his own high standards.

He came to the Afcon as fifth top scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals from 23 appearances.

He needs to be at his predatory best if he wants to harbour any dreams of leading the Teranga Lions to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title.

Senegal clash with overachieving Equatorial Guinea in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

While there is still hope for glory for Salah and Mane the same cannot be said of another trophy-laden English Premier League star, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.

Mahrez’s Algeria came to the tournament as defending champions and were highly tipped to retain their crown only to crash out at the group stages and more so at the hands of minnows.

The Manchester City top goal scorer thus far this season with 13 strikes was seen as the key person to lead the Desert Foxes to a back-to-back Afcon titles,. But Mahrez, who scored three goals in their triumphant 2019 Afcon in Egypt, was unable to find the net in three games here in Cameroon.

Even AC Milan’s Ismael Bennacer, Most Valuable Player Afcon 2019, was largely  anonymous in Algeria’s doomed campaign.

It has been certainly worse for other African stars based in Europe.

English Premier League players like Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew, Leicester's Daniel Amartey and former Marseille winger Andre Ayew, all from Ghana had a horrid tournament.

Humiliating loss

The fancied Black Stars suffered the indignity of exiting the tournament at the group stages. Ayew and his teammates began their campaign with a 0-1 loss to Morocco in their Group 'C' opener before conceding a late equaliser against Gabon in their second match.

It come down to a must-win third group match against debutants Comoros.

The Black Stars shockingly fell 2-3 at the Roumde Adjia stadium in Garoua on January 18 to finish bottom of the group with just a point and a goal.

The humiliating loss to Comoros is certainly more painful to Ayew who was dismissed from the game in the 25th minute following a serious foul on Comoros goalkeeper Boina Ben who was carried off the pitch.