Mohamed Salah does himself no favors in response to controversial Jamie Carragher comments

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah will not be lifting the Africa Cup of Nations after Egypt was beaten by Senegal in the semifinal, in a game that proved Jamie Carragher's point

Jamie Carragher went on a rant about Mohamed Salah last month(Image: Sky Sports)

Mohamed Salah will not be ending his wait for Africa Cup of Nations glory this weekend after Egypt was beaten 1-0 by Senegal in the semifinal.

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane grabbed the only goal of the game shortly before the 80-minute mark, lashing home from outside the area after the ball fell kindly to him from a blocked shot. Mane told the BBC: "It is not easy for him (Salah), but still best of luck. He did everything to carry his team until now. Unfortunately, one of us had to [lose]. I'm happy [to be] in the final."

Senegal will now contest the final against Morocco on Sunday, while Salah and Egypt will face Nigeria in a third-place playoff on Saturday.

Egypt is the most successful nation in AFCON history, but its last title came in 2010 – the year before Salah made his senior international debut.

Salah must now wait until 2027 for another chance to get his hands on the trophy, and one suspects he won't have too many more bites at the cherry given his age.

Jamie Carragher referenced Salah's wait for AFCON glory in response to the player's controversial mixed-zone stop at Elland Road in December, citing it as an example of how a team is always more important than any one player.

“He’s the greatest player his country have ever had in Egypt,” Carragher said. “Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations are the most successful nation. Mo Salah has never won the Africa Cup of Nations.

Salah's wait for AFCON glory continues(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)

“That isn’t me trying to put him down as a player, but what it tells him and his agent is that it’s not about an individual.

"No matter how good a player you are, you need help from your teammates, your manager and fans.

"It’s really important he remembers that."

Ultimately, Egypt's loss showed again that a single world-class player on his own is not enough to win a tournament.

Salah could barely have done more for Egypt at this tournament, though, scoring or assisting five of Egypt's nine goals en route to the semifinal.

The 33-year-old still has a chance to end the competition as the tournament's top scorer, too. He currently has four goals, level with Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen and one behind Morocco's Brahim Diaz.

Osimhen and Diaz are still in the tournament, so they could still add to their tallies over the weekend.