Salah reveals why he chose audacious Panenka in Egypt’s historic

Mohamed Salah said his bold decision to take a Panenka penalty in Egypt's dramatic shootout victory over Australia was a last-minute choice aimed at giving his teammates confidence during the country's historic FIFA World Cup triumph.
With the shootout level at 2-2, Salah stepped up to take Egypt's third penalty. Instead of aiming for either corner, the captain delicately chipped the ball down the middle of the goal, wrong-footing Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
Asked after the match why he opted for such a risky technique, Salah said he felt it was his responsibility as the team's most experienced player.
"If anyone was going to do it, it had to be me," Salah said. "I'm the most experienced player in the team, and I wanted to give confidence to the others. I made the decision to take a Panenka at the very last moment. I don't know if this will be my last World Cup, but I felt I had to do it."
The Liverpool forward said he had also tried to ease the pressure on his teammates before the match, as none of them had previously experienced a World Cup knockout game.
"This is history for us," he said. "Before the match I told the players that there is no bigger stage than this. Enjoy it and don't let the pressure take over. I'm happy we won. It's unfortunate for Australia to lose on penalties, but we're delighted to have made history."
Egypt's reward is a Round of 16 meeting with defending champions Argentina. At the time of his post-match interview, however, Salah was unaware of who Egypt's next opponents would be.
"Argentina hadn't played yet," he said. "We have to respect every team. We'll see what happens."
Although Salah did not score or register an assist during the match itself, he created five chances and was named Player of the Match for his influential display.
A Panenka penalty is a delicate chipped effort struck down the centre of the goal rather than into either corner. The technique is named after former Czechoslovakia midfielder Antonín Panenka, who famously used it to score the decisive penalty in the 1976 European Championship final.

MMR