Mohamed Salah is in great shape.
The football professional from Liverpool FC once again demonstrated this in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
In the hard-fought 3-2 (2-2) win against Spain's champions Atlético Madrid, the 29-year-old striker shone with a preliminary work and the winning goal.
Previously, this season he had already scored eleven goals in the English Premier League and three goals in the highest European club competition.
For his German coach Jürgen Klopp it was already clear before the kick-off: “We don't have to talk about Ronaldo and Messi and about what they did for world football and how they dominated it.
But at the moment nobody is better than him. "
In Madrid, the Egyptian swirled over the right flank as usual.
At 1-0 he dropped three opponents and finished.
James Milner was still in between with the tip of his toe and gave the ball the decisive turn (8th).
That's why the opening goal was not already on Salah's account.
He was not involved in Naby Keita's 2-0 win (13th).
Two goals by Antoine Griezmann to make it 2-2 in the meantime did not bother him.
Outnumbered after a red card against Griezmann, Salah kept his nerve after 78 minutes.
After a foul by Mario Hermoso on Diogo Jota, he ran to the penalty kick - and scored to make it 3-2 (78th).
“How you win, I couldn't care less.
The difficult ones are the really important ones.
On an evening like this, three points are really huge, ”said Klopp.
There was excitement in the final phase when the German referee Daniel Siebert had to consult the video evidence in the 81st minute.
José Maria Gimenez fell after a running duel with Jota in the penalty area.
It was only after studying video that Siebert took back his decision, so that Salah and Liverpool FC, who had won three Champions League games, still have their eye on the round of 16 as the first in Group B.
“I think our penalty was a clear one.
And the penalty for Atletico, as I understand it, is not a penalty, ”said Klopp.