Senegal qualified for the 2022 World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Egypt in penalty kicks. They had some help during Tuesday’s nail-biting triumph.
The hosts controlled most of the matchup with nine shots on goal and 59 percent time of possession. Yet Mohamed El-Shenawy kept Egypt alive through regulation with spectacular goalkeeping.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t only opposing Senegal. The host’s crowd at Abdoulaye Wade Stadium interjected by pointing lasers at Egypt’s players throughout the contest.
It certainly appeared to affect star Mohamed Salah’s penalty attempt.
Senegal fans just relentless with the laser pointers, man pic.twitter.com/5RoZpd8P1z
— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) March 29, 2022
Mohamed Salah before his penalty miss against Senegal. pic.twitter.com/szlmfxDJkN
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 29, 2022
This is insane! Mo Salah taking a penalty for Egypt with the World Cup on the line and there are 3,000 laser pointers in his eyes.
Take a guess at what happens next…. pic.twitter.com/8PvpKUBksR
— Stu Holden (@stuholden) March 29, 2022
Viewers expressed dismay over the scene on Twitter, with some wondering why officials allowed those actions to continue.
Did they give out laser pointers to every ticket holder at this Senegal-Egypt qualifier? Was it Laser Pointer Night?#WorldCup
— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) March 29, 2022
Laser pointers may be the last frontier of bad ⚽️ crowd behavior that is just completely ignored/accepted/given the 🤷♂️ treatment https://t.co/7YVt9AaYPy
— Alexander Abnos (@AnAbnos) March 29, 2022
The amount of laser pointers at Senegal Egypt. It’s like a nightclub. Surprised referee hasn’t taken players off.
— Ewan MacKenna (@EwanMacKenna) March 29, 2022
You can clearly see the Senegalese supporters who are using laser pointers. Refs should be able to stop the game until stewards shut that behavior down. #SENEGY
— Aaron Kelton (@AaronKelton) March 29, 2022
Senegal fans are using Laser pointers to try to influence the game. Unethical behavior hope FIFA to take serious action. pic.twitter.com/5luBZxqyyl
— Abdikadir Mohamed Omar (@abrkelly) March 29, 2022
It’s not a laughing matter either; laser pointers can cause serious retina damage and even irreversible blindness. The fans created a health hazard for Egypt, who couldn’t find the net before Sadio Mané nailed the decisive penalty pick.
Senegal will advance to their third World Cup appearance at Egypt’s expense. Four years ago, they were knocked out of the group stage in Russia.
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