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Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Egypt superstar Mohamed Salah made history when they took to the field in their respective sides' final league stage FIFA World Cup matches on Saturday.
Coming to the clash between Belgium and New Zealand, which the former won 5-1, Thibaut registered his 18th FIFA World Cup appearance, surpassing Enzo Scifo (17) for most appearances for Belgium at the marquee tournament, as per a post from FIFA's official handle. https://x.com/FIFAcom/status/2070749471139316125 Also, during Egypt's 1-1 draw against Iran, which earned them a historic round of 32 qualification, Salah made his fifth FIFA World Cup start, becoming the first Egyptian player to reach that milestone, as per Opta Analyst. Also, Salah's 57 minutes played against Iran were his fewest in a FIFA World Cup match (previous low was 76 against Belgium earlier this month). He requested to be subbed off in the second half, raising concerns over his fitness. Following his side's draw with Iran, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said that superstar player Mohamed Salah will be assessed after he asked to be substituted during the match. Salah's fitness is a concern ahead of the knockout phase as he was replaced 12 minutes into the second half. Now, the coach has said that it is too early to determine the extent of the issue. Telling beIN Sports, as quoted by Reuters, Hossam said, "He asked to come off. If a player asks to be substituted, it means he felt something." "We will make sure what the problem is. We will assess him," he added. (ANI)
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