Mohamed Salah ended a three-game barren run for Egypt with 4 objectives as they thrashed Djibouti 6-0 on Thursday, breaking one more document within the course of.
Salah failed to seek out the again of the online in every of his nation’s earlier fixtures to this point this season, misfiring towards Tunisia, Zambia and Algeria.
However with Liverpool’s No. 11 in blistering type of late, there was no shock as he struck 4 towards lowly Djibouti in Egypt’s first qualifier for the 2026 World Cup.
Djibouti, a nation on the Horn of Africa with a inhabitants of beneath one million, have solely gained twice earlier than in 22 World Cup qualifiers since they started taking part in 2000.
Up towards the most effective gamers in world soccer, they have been put to the sword with ease.
Salah’s first aim got here after 17 minutes, ending from shut vary along with his proper foot, earlier than changing a penalty after Omar Kamal was introduced down 5 minutes later.
The Egypt captain had an opportunity to make it a hat-trick earlier than the break, however finally did so three minutes after the restart.
His fourth was the decide of the objectives, touching down Ahmed Fotouh’s clipped ball within the field and firing into the far backside nook along with his left on the flip.
Having begun the day on 11 objectives in World Cup qualifying, sitting third in Egypt’s all-time checklist, Salah has now scored greater than every other participant.
Salah’s 15 objectives in qualifiers lifts him above Mohamed Aboutrika, who had held the document since 2013 – with Amr Zaki, the previous Wigan and Hull loanee, now third with 12.
The 31-year-old has netted 53 instances in 92 video games for his nation, that means he’s solely 13 behind Egypt’s all-time document goalscorer, Hossam Hassan.
He was topic to a sequence of sturdy challenges from Djibouti gamers all through, which finally noticed him sq. as much as defender Moussa Araita, however fortunately he prevented any damage.
Egypt’s subsequent sport is away to Sierra Leone on Sunday, giving Salah one other alternative to increase his tally additional.
