Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Thursday, 19 March 2026, 09:05 / Updated on Thursday, 19 March 2026 09:06
Mohamed Salah (33 years old) was the man of the return Liverpool – Galatasaray (4-0). The Egyptian striker was involved in all 3 goals in the second half after missing a penalty at the end of the first half.
Salah miserably wasted the shot from 11 meters in extra time of the first half (45+4) and it seemed to be another dark night for him, after the many experiences especially in the first part of the season.
Arne Slot: “It was a difficult moment for Mohamed Salah when he missed the penalty”
But in the second part, Liverpool's “veteran” had a sensational comeback and contributed decisively to the score victory of the “cormorants”. First, Salah launched Hugo Ekitike to make it 2-0, then Ryan Gravenberch took advantage of his shot being blocked by the keeper, and finally the Egyptian scored himself with a sensational finish to the net.
Manager Arne Slot did not forget him at the post-match press conference. “It was a difficult moment for him when he missed the penalty, but then he really stood out in the second half with a great assist for Hugo and then that signature goal of his.
That says a lot about his mental strength, so we thank him and the whole team, because adversity is something we can talk about when it comes to this season,” commented the Dutch Cormorants coach.
Mohamed Salah, the first African to reach the 50 mark in the Champions League
Salah became the first African to score 50 goals in the Champions League on Wednesday night. In total, he scored 140 goals and 61 assists for Liverpool in 211 appearances.
He asked to be substituted in the 74th minute, and Arne Slot claims that “felt something”. The Egyptian will undergo a thorough medical examination on Thursday.
