Dejan Lovren has sent former Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah a heartfelt message after Egypt were beaten 3-1 on penalties by Senegal in their World Cup decider.
In what was a repeat of the Africa Cup of Nations final from earlier this year, penalties were needed to separate the sides and decide who would be on the plane to Qatar. Egypt led Senegal 1-0 following the first leg in Cairo but an early own goal from Hamdi Fathi levelled the scoreline on aggregate for Senegal in the second leg in Dakar on Tuesday night.
That was the way it stayed, so after 120 minutes of football, the match went to spot-kicks. Salah stepped up first for his country in the shootout but sent his effort over the crossbar. His Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane then went on to score the winning penalty and send Senegal to the 2022 World Cup.
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Lovren, who shared a close friendship with Salah during his time at Anfield, took to social media after the game with a message of support for his friend.
He wrote on Twitter: "Mo head up, be proud of you and your team. You gave everything, God has bigger plans for you. Keep strong brate."
One thing Salah and his Egypt team-mates had to contend with throughout the match was large numbers of laser pens used by fans in the stands. The beams of green lights could later be seen being projected onto Salah as he was about to take his penalty.
Salah and Mane will now return to Merseyside to prepare for a decisive run-in with Liverpool. A Premier League home clash against Watford on Saturday awaits, before a trip to face Benfica in the Champions League quarter-finals next week.
