Mohamed Salah's World Cup bid ends with a whimper

Mohamed Salah's World Cup campaign arguably ended when Egypt's talisman tumbled to the turf in the Champions League final in Kiev on May 26.

Uruguay administered the last rites on Wednesday but the Pharaohs already knew the writing was on the wall.

Salah returned to action for the first time in three weeks for his side's do-or-die clash with hosts Russia in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday but was a pale imitation of the player who dazzled for Liverpool last season, scoring 44 goals.

He did get on the scoresheet late on from the penalty spot in Saint Petersburg but it was too little, too late, with Russia already 3-0 up and steaming towards the last 16.

The hosts and Uruguay, both in Group A, became the first two sides into the knockout round today after the South Americans beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Rostov.

Salah carried his country to their first World Cup since 1990, scoring five of his side's eight goals in the the third qualifying round.

But Egyptian excitement that he was appearing on the biggest stage in club football last month turned to fear when he trudged off the field in tears after being hauled to the ground by Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

"This is very bad for Mo, very bad for us, very bad for Egypt," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, minutes after seeing his side lose 3-1 in the Ukrainian capital.

The Spanish captain quickly became a hate figure for furious Egyptian fans on social media, but there was no quick remedy for the damage Ramos inflicted.

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"He wasn't in all the preparation with us and that cost him a little bit of his physical ability. He would have worked almost three weeks with us before the first game, with the same intensity as the rest of the team."