Egypt captain Mohamed Salah is a doubt for Friday's last-32 tie against Australia after suffering a hamstring strain, while Spain's Nico Williams has furiously hit out at Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz following a tackle that has thrown his World Cup involvement into doubt.
Salah was substituted during Egypt's 1-1 draw with Iran after complaining of pain, with team doctor Mohamed Abou confirming scans later showed a hamstring strain. The Egyptian Football Association said he had begun a treatment programme but gave no indication whether the 34-year-old would be fit for the match in Dallas on 3 July.
“Mohamed Salah and Nico Williams are both doubts for their World Cup last-32 ties after hamstring and tackle injuries.”
“I spoke with Salah and, God willing, the injury doesn't seem serious,” Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said after the Iran game. “He assured me it would be fine, that it's not a serious injury.”
The setback comes after Salah missed three weeks from late April with a similar problem, though he returned for Liverpool's final two matches. He has scored once and provided two assists so far in this World Cup as Egypt finished second in Group G.
In Dallas, Spain rounded off their group stage with a 1-0 win over Uruguay, but the match was overshadowed by a cynical tackle from De la Cruz on Williams. The Uruguay midfielder, who had replaced the stretchered-off Manuel Ugarte, hacked at the 23-year-old during a counter-attack.
Williams later posted a black-and-white picture of his angry reaction, describing the challenge as “completely unnecessary” and “one of the worst days of my life”. He wrote of a year and a half of suffering with pubalgia and a hamstring injury, saying: “I even had to live with the pain in simple things like going to the bathroom… Being happy playing football again was my top priority.”
“But this isn't going to stop me,” Williams added. “I know God has a plan for me, and I will keep fighting until the very last moment.”
Spain go into the knockout stage as group winners, but the extent of Williams' injury remains unclear. For Egypt, the fitness of their captain could determine whether they progress against Australia. Both teams now wait on medical bulletins that will shape their World Cup hopes.