AFCON: FULL DETAILS ON MOHAMED SALAH’S BENCHING AND HIS LIVERPOOL RETURN DATE
Mohamed Salah is benched for Egypt's clash with Angola. Discover why the Liverpool star is resting and his 2026 return timeline.
So, Mohamed Salah is on the bench again today, but it’s not as dramatic as his recent issues at Liverpool.
The guy's playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, trying to win his first title with them. They’ve had a great start, winning against Zimbabwe and South Africa, with Salah scoring the deciding goal in both matches.
Egypt is playing Angola in their last group game today, but Salah is on the bench, according to Hossam Hassan.
No one said Salah is injured. He was seen hanging out with his teammates before the game at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir.
It probably means the Liverpool star is just getting some rest because Egypt is already moving on to the next round after beating South Africa on Boxing Day.
The Pharaohs are guaranteed to win the group. The tie-breaker is head-to-head records. South Africa is the only team that could tie with Egypt's six points, so Salah’s team is finishing at the top of Group B.
So today’s game doesn't really matter for them. Omar Marmoush from Manchester City is also on the bench, which shows what Hassan is thinking for the next games.
Don’t expect Salah to blow up like he did earlier this month at Liverpool. He went off on his club and coach, Arne Slot, after being on the bench for three games, accusing the Reds of throwing him under the bus.”
After that, he was left out of the Champions League game against Inter Milan. Then he was back on the bench against Brighton—a game he thought might be his last for the club.
Who knows if that’s true? Liverpool's sporting director, Richard Hughes, is supposedly meeting with Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas, while he’s away.
No one knows when Salah will be back at Liverpool, but he’ll miss at least two more games for the Reds.
Egypt's next game is on Jan. 5, so Salah will miss Liverpool’s games against Leeds on Jan. 1 and Fulham on Jan. 4.
CAPTAIN WILFRED NDIDI SUSPENDED AS NIGERIA PREPARE FOR MASSIVE MOROCCO SEMI-FINAL
Nigeria faces Morocco in a high-stakes AFCON semi-final! With Ndidi out, can Osimhen and Lookman lead the Eagles to the final?
Nobody really expected Nigeria to make it this far. After those rough World Cup qualifier results, most people just wrote them off. But honestly, that disappointment seems to have lit a fire under the Super Eagles. Now they’re flying—still the only team left in the tournament with a perfect record, fresh off a 2–0 win over Algeria in the quarter-finals.
Head coach Eric Chelle keeps saying his players finally get what he wants from them tactically, and it shows. If they win the semi-final, Nigeria heads to their ninth AFCON final—and their second in a row.
But it won’t be easy. They’re facing a team that’s beaten them three out of the last four times at this stage. Chelle needs his goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, to keep his head and not get caught up in the drama, especially with the crowd likely to be hostile. Even though laser pointers are banned, you know how these things go.
At the back, Calvin Bassey from Fulham has really stepped up since William Troost-Ekong suddenly retired. He’s formed a solid partnership with Semi Ajayi. Bruno Onyemaechi has made the left-back spot his own.
They’re still waiting to see if Bright Osayi-Samuel will be fit after he had to come off against Algeria. Early signs look good, though, so he could be ready to face Morocco.
Midfield’s a bit tricky now that captain Wilfred Ndidi is suspended after picking up four yellow cards. But Raphael Onyedika, who’s already scored twice in this tournament, looks set to slot in next to Frank Onyeka and a fired-up Alex Iwobi. Both Onyeka and Iwobi have seriously raised their game over the last few matches.
Up front, Nigeria looks as dangerous as ever. Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen—both former African Footballers of the Year—are flanking Akor Adams. The three of them have combined for 17 goals and assists in just five matches, which is pretty incredible.
Probable lineup for Nigeria:
Nwabali; Osayi-Samuel, Ajayi, Bassey, Onyemaechi; Onyeka, Onyedika, Iwobi; Lookman, Adams, Osimhen
TITLE HOPES VANISH: CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES BUT AL NASSR COLLAPSE IN 3-1 DERBY DEFEAT
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 16th goal of the season was cancelled out by a disastrous second half as 10-man Al Nassr lost 3-1 to Al Hilal.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s time in Saudi Arabia just keeps getting tougher. Al Nassr blew a one-goal lead and lost 3-1 to Al Hilal, which probably kills off any lingering hope they had of winning the league this season. Ronaldo did his part—he scored right before halftime—but the second half was a disaster. It’s been three years since Ronaldo moved to the Middle East, and he still hasn’t picked up any major trophies. Now, after 14 games, Al Nassr trails Al Hilal by seven points.
Things just keep getting worse for Al Nassr. Not long after a rough home defeat to Al Qadsiah, they faced Al Hilal, who sit atop the table. In the first half, Al Nassr actually looked sharp, creating six chances to Al Hilal’s single shot. Kingsley Coman and Ronaldo both looked lively, and it was the 40-year-old who struck first, lashing in his 16th goal of the season after a slick pass from Coman in the 42nd minute.
But then it all unravelled almost instantly after the break. Mohamed Simakan tripped Malcom in the box, and Salem Al Dawsari smashed home the penalty in the 57th minute. Moments later, chaos—Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves went down holding his face after clashing with keeper Nawaf Al Aqidi. The referee showed Al Aqidi a yellow, but VAR changed it to red for violent conduct, which left Al Nassr a man down for the last half hour.
With nine minutes left, Mohamed Kanno pounced and finished from close range, piling on the misery. Just to make things worse, Neves slotted home a penalty in stoppage time after Ali Al Hassan fouled Al Dawsari. That’s three straight losses for Al Nassr now. Their last win? Way back on December 27.
As for the standout, Ruben Neves was everywhere. He set up Kanno’s goal, drew the red card that changed the game, and then scored the final penalty himself. Al-Dawsari and Kanno got the goals that mattered, but Neves was the difference.
And the biggest culprit? Keeper Nawaf Al Aqidi. Sure, Simakan and Al Hassan gave away penalties, but Al Aqidi’s reckless red card was the turning point. With mistakes like that, it’s hard to see Ronaldo and Al Nassr clawing their way back into the title race.