Egypt coach Hossam Hassan was left with more questions than answers as the Pharaohs succumbed to a 1-0 friendly defeat to South Africa in Cairo on Sunday.
The mood in the Egyptian national team has been sombre for some time following a spate of controversial remarks by coach Hassan and superstar Mohamed Salah's mysterious absence from the team.
On Sunday at the Cairo International Stadium, Puso Dithejane scored the lone goal as Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane enjoyed a great start to his reign, registering a third straight victory.
Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir rushed off his line and misjudged completely, allowing Dithejane to complete the simplest of finishes in front of an empty net.
For Egypt, the final match of the international break left them with a bigger headache, which seemingly started when coach Hassan substituted Salah after 60 minutes in the opening round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations against Angola on September 25.
Salah then missed the next game against South Sudan, which Egypt won comfortably 5-0. According to the Egyptian Football Association, Salah was granted permission to miss the game to avoid the risk of injury as it was played on an artificial surface.
Salah was expected to play the friendly against South Africa but he was not part of the starting XI or even on the bench.
It compounded the issues for coach Hassan, who has been under fire since his comments about goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, who he said was "finished" at one point.
Hassan had also criticised the Egyptian Premier League and the players' fitness levels.
After the match against South Sudan, Hassan remained defiant, especially around Salah, stating: “It is not right for a country of 120 million people for the national team to depend on one player.”
Now, in Salah's absence, Egypt suffered a humbling defeat to a largely experimental Bafana Bafana side; Mosimane had made nine changes to the team from their previous game against Eritrea.
"It was a little difficult. In the first five minutes we could not find our feet. We changed the whole team. It takes a little time to gel and to come in, but as the game progressed, we gained confidence," Mosimane said.
"What I like is that they’re not afraid to play and we need to give them a chance. I let them swim with the sharks, threw them in the deep end. Yeah, they swam."
