Virgil van Dijk was informed of Mohamed Salah missing out on a place at the 2022 World Cup moments after participating in a friendly yesterday evening.
Captaining the Netherlands against Germany, the Liverpool defender was involved in a 1-1 draw between the sides but was quickly asked about another match that had been taking place on Tuesday night.
Sadio Mane and Salah went head-to-head in a game of great importance for the second time this year, having already faced off against each other in the Africa Cup of Nations final at the start of February.
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It was Senegal and Mane who came out on top against Egypt on penalties in this showpiece fixture, with nothing to separate the sides after 120 minutes of action. The teams were again left to decide their fate via the lottery of spot-kicks, this time for a place at the World Cup finals, after drawing 1-1 over two legs in their qualification showdown.
Neither side could keep their cool in the opening stages as the first four players to step up, including Salah, could not convert from 12 yards. Mane was again left in a position of having the fifth and final penalty to decide the contest. He made no mistake in the AFCON final, and held his nerve once more to secure a 3-1 win on spot-kicks.
Shortly after Senegal's place at this year's upcoming tournament was confirmed, Van Dijk was asked to provide his reaction to one of his close companions suffering a cruel exit. "Did he lose?” Questioned the Reds' centre-back.
After being told how the game had played out, the Dutch defender said: “Well obviously, I feel sorry for Mo and for Egypt, but football is sometimes like this. I am sure he will turn the disappointment into success for the rest of the season. We still have everything to play for so there is a lot of things still to achieve for him. As for Sadio, I wish him all the best and if he is in our group, he is going to need that good luck!”
The Netherlands, meanwhile, ensured they will be competing at the World Cup in Qatar later this year after topping their qualification group.
