Salah still the centrepiece of Egypt attack but supporting cast are stepping up

Egypt's Mohamed Salah. Reuters

Egypt's Mohamed Salah had a quiet game in Friday's 1-1 draw with Iran at the World Cup and left the field early in the second half, but coach Hossam Hassan's new-look side showed they can step up when their talismanic forward has an off day.

The 34-year-old winger, who had scored one and set up two others in Egypt's previous Group G games against Belgium and New Zealand, will be assessed after asking to be substituted, though Hassan said he did not think the issue was serious.

Egypt will hope Salah is good to go for their round-of-32 game against Australia next week after they reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.

Salah tallied nine of Egypt's 20 goals in their World Cup qualifying campaign, and while he has scored only one of their five goals in the group stage, he remains the centrepiece of the attack.

At Egypt's last World Cup appearance in 2018, Salah scored both their goals as the side were eliminated with three straight defeats by Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Since Hassan took over as coach in 2024, Egypt have played far more dynamically and used Salah's gravity to pull in defenders and open the space for team mates.

At this World Cup, Salah played a key role in their opening goal against Belgium in a 1-1 draw, feeding the ball to midfielder Emam Ashour, who netted from outside the box.

Egypt's 3-1 win over New Zealand in their second match showcased the team's wider attacking cast, with the goals coming from Salah, Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” and Mostafa Abdel Raouf "Zico".

In Seattle, it was midfielder Mahmoud Saber who scored inside five minutes, with Salah leaving the field in the 57th minute.

Egypt were only denied top spot in the group on goal difference after Belgium thrashed New Zealand 5-1 on Friday.

Even if Salah is injured, Egypt's attack still poses a threat for Australia when they play on July 3 in Dallas.