After a chaotic closing minutes against Iran, and a slew of injuries striking the team, Pharaohs head coach Hossam Hassan has sent a message to the Egyptian people reassuring them he is “not worried” about the state of his squad.
Egypt secured a historic place in the knockout stages for the first time in World Cup history by finishing second behind Belgium on goal difference in Group G, thanks to a 1-1 draw with Iran on Friday in Seattle.
In a game that witnessed two goals for either side and a penalty saved by Mostafa Shobeir all within the opening 14 minutes, a disallowed goal for Iran in the dying moments and injuries sustained by Mohamed Salah, Mohamed Abdelmonem and Ahmed Fatouh, Egypt sank Iranian hearts and punched their ticket to a Round of 32 meeting against Australia.
The North Africans already had problems to contend with before the game, with both Hamdy Fathy and Hossam Abdelmaguid ruled out of the Iran clash.
Things quickly got worse for Egypt when Abdelmonem suffered a knee injury 14 minutes into the game on Friday and was taken off, before Salah felt a problem with his hamstring and requested to be substituted in the 56th minute.
The drama amplified in the last 10 minutes of the game as Fatouh hurt his hamstring and had to remain on the pitch because Egypt had already used all five of their substitutions.
Add to that the fact that Mohanad Lashin received a second yellow card, which rules him out of Friday’s showdown with Australia and it appears the Egyptians have serious problems heading into the knockouts.
Hassan insists, though, that he is not concerned and that the seven-time African champions will be up for the task in the next round.
“I want to tell everyone back home and to everyone watching that I have absolute beasts with me on this team, players that will not disappoint. I am not worried,” the coach said after the game.
“I want you all to be optimistic because I fear no one. I have full faith in my entire squad. They are all top notch. We faced Spain and Saudi Arabia in friendlies and we were missing many players. And we were missing nearly half the team during World Cup qualifying; so I want to reassure everyone and say that if I were to worry about injuries, then I wouldn’t be worthy of being in charge of the Egyptian national team.”
Details on Salah’s injury status have yet to be revealed but Hassan is hopeful he will be ready in time for the next game.
“I have spoken to Salah and God willing it’s a minor injury. We have enough time for him to work with our medical team and to recover in time for the next game. From our conversation, I get the sense it’s not going to take too long to deal with,” said the coach.
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Egypt's Mahmoud Saber celebrates scoring the first goal with Mostafa Zico and Mohamed Abdelmoniem during the World Cup Group G match against Iran in Seattle. Reuters -
Egypt's Mahmoud Saber scores the first goal past Iran's Alireza Beiranvand and Hossein Kanani. Reuters -
Mahmoud Saber celebrates with Egypt teammates after scoring. EPA -
Mohamed Salah vies for the ball with Iran's Mohammad Mohebbi. Reuters -
Mehdi Taremi of Iran and goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir of Egypt fight for the ball. EPA -
Alireza Jahanbakhsh after Iran's draw with Egypt. AFP -
Egypt players react as referee Szymon Marciniak calls an off-side to overturn the goal by Shoja Khalilzadeh of Iran. AFP
Praise for Iran
Iran still have a chance to advance as one of the best third-placed teams but must wait for other results to land in their favour.
The players were understandably heartbroken after victory slipped through their fingers when a Shoja Khalilzadeh goal was ruled offside by VAR in the 93rd minute.
“I’m tired, really,” said Ramin Rezaeian, who scored Iran’s equaliser in the first half and was named man of the match.
“I don’t know what’s going on in Iran with our football, because we can’t see any luck. My team, we deserve to win the game. At the end we just apologise to our people in Iran because they deserve more happiness, they deserve more things. We did our best and the rest is from God but I hope to God that he can give us a little bit of luck and we advance to the next stage.”
Egypt and Al Ahly legend Mohamed Aboutrika heaped praise on the Iranian team, who faced many adversities during this World Cup, travelling back and forth between their base in Tijuana and their games in Los Angeles and Seattle.
“We managed to advance, which was what we were aiming for entering this World Cup,” Aboutrika said on beIN Sports.
“I hope that we can regain our focus once again because after our first-ever [World Cup] win [against New Zealand], there were of course lots of celebrations. At the same time, we played a tough opponent, a highly-experienced opponent. They never stopped running, even though they have to fly in from Mexico to the US for all their games. The Iranian team showed great character.
“They are a stubborn team that have everything to trouble the Egyptian team. They have the spirit, they have the physical fitness, they have direct balls, and they have experienced players.
“So I think a draw was enough to secure qualification for us, but we have several negative points. We have casualties, most notably Salah’s injury. I hope it’s a minor injury. But on paper, five points in this group – before the tournament started, we said that getting five points would be special for us and we did it.”
The Aussie threat
Egypt could have advanced as Group G winners but two late goals for Belgium against New Zealand saw them leapfrog the Pharaohs to seal the top spot.
Hassan insists he never thought about the opponents Egypt would face in the knockouts, and that his side is ready for anyone.
Some felt like the possible match-ups for the Egyptians had they topped their group – like South Korea, Senegal, Algeria or Austria – would have been tougher than taking on Australia as group runners-up but the coach assured no one went into the Iran game thinking of a draw.
“We respect our opponents but fear no one,” Hassan reiterated in his post-game press conference.
Australia pose a serious threat for the Pharaohs, who clearly struggled with Iran’s physicality and aerial prowess – something they will face much more of when they face the Socceroos on Friday.
“We were hoping for the top spot but it could be a blessing. Maybe this was a rehearsal for what we will face when we take on Australia,” said Aboutrika.
“Which is why we have to address our mistakes, deal with the crosses and problems that appeared in this game and manage the injuries we sustained because the players exerted a lot of effort to be honest. There was a lot of running across all three games, which were all high-paced. A lot of energy was put in, so injuries are to be expected.”
Players not done dreaming
Shobeir once again put in a heroic effort for Egypt, saving a penalty and maintaining the team’s unbeaten record at this World Cup.
The Ahly goalkeeper admits the closing minutes against Iran were tough to endure but that Egypt are ready to regroup and prepare for Australia.
“We came here from the first day knowing we wanted to achieve something big and to advance as far as possible. And hopefully the next step won’t be our last,” he told beIN Sports.
“Those [last few minutes] were very difficult moments. We had studied the Iran team well and we knew they were going to be a tough opponent, especially in the aerial battles. We were prepared.
“The last five minutes were extremely tough, especially that we weren’t aware of what was happening in the other games, if we would finish third or second. We weren’t thinking at all about finishing second, but ultimately we are satisfied with what we have done, satisfied with what we have accomplished and thank God for advancing.”
