Egypt manager Hector Cuper expects talisman Mohamed Salah to be fit for their second World Cup match against Russia on Tuesday.
The Liverpool forward was left on the bench during the Pharaohs’ 1-0 defeat by Uruguay in Ekaterinburg on Friday as he continues to recover from the shoulder injury he suffered in the Champions League final last month.
In quotes reported on fifa.com, Cuper said: “Mo Salah is an extremely important player for us, nobody can deny that, but you need to have a good team, and we have a good team.
“Perhaps if Mo had been on the pitch today the outcome would have been different but we can’t know that. Certainly he has contributed a great amount to the team and will contribute in future matches.
‘We wanted to avoid any risks in this match, but I think he will be fine for the next game.”
Egypt were playing their first World Cup match since 1990 and looked set to pull off a notable result only for Jose Gimenez to head the winner from a late free-kick.
It was especially tough on Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, who produced two good saves from Luis Suarez and one from Edinson Cavani before he was finally beaten.