Egypt’s World Cup qualifier defeat by Senegal was marked by several factors – Lions of Teranga attacking and pressing, the Pharaohs rolling on the ground whenever they found time to waste and the most noticed factor of all – the laser show distracting the guests, courtesy of the fans at the stadium.Egypt were looking to avenge their AFCON final defeat by Senegal, but after the tie was level at 1-1 after 210 minutes of action, it went to another heartbreaking penalty shootout. The game itself was overshadowed by Egypt’s players having to put up with being targeted by lasers from the home supporters and it came to the forefront when the match itself went into penalties.Carlos Quieroz announces departure from Egyptian national team after World Cup missThe symbolism of the shootout ‘lottery’ between the two arose to a new level with the misery of the North Africans being compounded after they lost a second consecutive shootout to Senegal. The Lions of Teranga won the AFCON in February and last night they qualified for the tournament in Qatar at the expense of Egypt.One of the most distinct moments during last night’s match was Mohamed Salah’s penalty and the way the Senegal supporters ‘painted’ him green with laser lights. It was no surprise he blazed the ball over the bar.I mean, just look at this. Salah sails his penalty over… and surely anybody would, given the lasers.Mane scores, Senegal wins the shootout, Egypt out of the World Cup pic.twitter.com/tgHmCmW8uu— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) March 29, 2022 Not only were lasers making it difficult for the Egyptians in Dakar – Senegal fans pelted players with objects as the guests were leaving the pitch and even abused the Egyptians racially.The Egyptian FA have now claimed the team were subjected to racist abuse from Senegalese – alleging their team bus had been attacked upon arrival and missiles were aimed at the players as early as the warm-up.Egypt claimed their team was subject to racist abuse throughout the game – with allegations Senegal players made offensive signs in addition to throwing objects throughout the game.’The Egypt national team have been exposed to racism with offensive signs in the stands against the Egyptian players in general, and Mohamed Salah in particular,’ said a statement from the country’s FA.Mane sends Senegal to QatarEgypt claimed the team had been subjected to abuse from the moment they arrived at the stadium after their bus was ‘assaulted’.’The crowd also intimidated the players by throwing bottles and rocks on them during the warm-up. ‘The Egyptian group’s busses have also been exposed to assaults that led to broken windows and injuries; filed with pictures and videos as proof in the complaint submitted.’🚨⚠️Violence in Senegal The Senegalese fans tried to attack Egypt’s captain Mohamed Salah and threw objects at him while he is leaving the pitch #Africa #Egypt #Qatar2022 #SENEGY #Salah #Laser #WQC2022 #CAF_Scandal_in_Senegal | #مصر #السنغال #قطر2022 #منتخب_مصر #صلاح pic.twitter.com/znFXtuyspr— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 29, 2022 FIFA have been contacted by the media to state their view on the scenes and their reply is awaited.Back to football. The Pharaohs went into the second leg of the play-off 1-0 up but Hamdi Fathi’s own goal after just four minutes on Tuesday restored parity in the tie. The shootout ended the way it ended and as a result – we will not see one of the biggest football stars on Earth – at the planetary tournament.Salah is 29 years old and chances are great he will appear in 2026 when USA, Canada and Mexico host the World Cup.
