Sports critic Amr El-Dardir praised Mohamed Salah, the star of Liverpool and the Egyptian national team, for his performance with the Pharaohs in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Egypt national team defeated Benin 3-1 in the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Mohamed Salah scoring the third goal in the 120th minute plus 4 minutes of added time.

Al-Dardir said on Facebook: "Is Salah being treated specially? He deserves it, man. His presence on the field is already an asset to the national team, even if he's not at his best. You saw at the last moment he snatched a goal, and you'll see that happen a lot in the upcoming matches, God willing."

He continued: "My dear, you get happy when you see Messi and Cristiano starting for Argentina and Portugal, and you say they deserve to be in the lineup even though they haven't played for a while. But because this is Salah and he's in Egypt, you begrudge him that? Do you think someone like him will come again?"

He added: "My dear, you have to understand that Salah is the historic player of your country and your continent, and many people didn’t even hear about us until this man appeared. So, it’s okay—he deserves all the support, and we will hold him high above our heads until the very last moment, no matter what."

The Pharaohs succeeded in defeating Benin to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations.