YEKATERINBURG, Russia, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Egypt coach Hector Cuper has explained that he kept star player Mohamed Salah on bench against Uruguay on Friday to keep him in good form for matches against Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Cuper made the remarks after a 1-0 loss to Uruguay in their World Cup group A match here.
Salah's fitness for entering the game has been the target of much speculation since he suffered a shoulder injury in Liverpool's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid on May 26.
Cuper had said earlier that Salah was "nearly 100 percent likely" to face Uruguay, but apparently changed his mind later.
"At the end of the training session we examined him and there was some doubt if he fell or was hit by another player, and we wanted to avoid a risk today," Cuper explained.
"We wanted to avoid risks in this match (with Salah), but I think he will be fine for the next game," he said.
During Friday's match, Uruguay snatched a late win over Egypt as Jose Gimenez headed in the only goal in the 89th minute.
Cuper said that he had no complaint about his team's performance as they have done their best, but admitted that if Salah had been on the pitch, the outcome "might have been different."
Without Salah, the Egyptian team seemed to lack the cutting edge.
"What we lacked was the finishing aspects, what we closed at the penalty box... I think at least four or five plays ended right there, we just lack the final touch to be able to score the goal," Cuper noted.
Egypt will face hosts Russia on Tuesday and Saudi Arabia on June 25.
