Klopp 'very proud' of Egypt hero Salah
Jürgen Klopp has declared himself 'very proud' of Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool winger helped clinch Egypt's first World Cup appearance since 1990 during the international break.
With his country needing a win against Congo to secure their passage to Russia, Salah opened the scoring just past the hour mark thanks to a cool one-on-one finish, much to the delight of a partisan crowd at Borg El Arab Stadium.
But Hector Cuper's men were dealt a hammer blow three minutes from the end of normal time when Arnold Bouka Moutou netted an equaliser that looked set to ensure the Egyptians' bid for a World Cup place would go down to the final group game.
However, five minutes into injury time, the hosts won a penalty that Salah nervelessly converted to spark scenes of jubiliation across Egypt and underline his status as a national hero.
When asked how he felt during that moment, Klopp said: "Very proud. Did anybody see the six-minute video summary of the game?
"I never saw a celebration like this for 1-0 after 60 minutes - I thought it was a Golden Goal in a World Cup final!
"Then, after 87 minutes they made the equaliser, obviously not a nice moment. Then, 94 minutes, I never saw a celebration of a penalty like this until someone said, 'by the way, we still have to score'.
"I nearly had a heart attack, I thought I had to go down there and take the situation. But he did it and I would say in this moment he is our No.1 penalty taker.
"That pressure was unbelievable, he did really well, and after 27 years it’s fantastic news for Egypt.
"That's a really good generation that they have there and they should go to the World Cup but, how it always is, first you have to be qualified. Now they are there it's obviously a good moment."
Klopp went on to lament the pressure his players often face when they head out to represent their countries and the fact that many can return to Melwood having suffered significant disappointments such as a failure to qualify for major tournaments.
But he is prepared to quickly refocus his charges ahead of the weekend visit of Manchester United.
"It's intense, it's the same for Sadio Mane," the boss added.
"[He is] the best player of Senegal, no doubt, so the players have no chance to get away from the [pressure]. They have to be always there and spot on.
"In this moment Sadio got an injury and that could mean he’s not involved in the game when Senegal [play South Africa].
"I'm sure they can make the qualification without him, they need only one point from two games, so that should be possible. That's how it is. We watch it, we wait until they come back, and we take what we get.
"Sometimes they feel better but for Andy Robertson, of course, not nice; for Ben Woodburn and Danny Ward, not nice; but it is like it is.
"I wish that we could have had more time until such an important game to make the preparation. But it's our job, it's our challenge - same for the other team, let's go."