AFCON: Marinica after Zimbabwe’s loss to Egypt: ‘We shouted in changing room’

Zimbabwe coach Mario Marinica says his side lost to Egypt because the players gave the record Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions ‘too much respect’ in Morocco on Monday.

The former Liberia coach expressed his disappointment in his players’ approach to the 2025 AFCON Group B match, especially in the second-half at Stade de Agadir, adding that there was shouting in the dressing room due to boiling frustrations.

“To be honest, I was saying to the players in the changing room that sometimes teams that are this small, are afraid to win matches. They are afraid to push hard like they did in the first-half. Even though we shouted and gave instructions, the players still dropped too much, giving too much respect to the opponents,” the Romania-born mentor told the media.

“You cannot drop off. With these fantastic players like Egypt have, they will beat us, so we had to be aggressive and take our chances and not be fazed.”

Despite the setback, the Englishman vowed that he still believes in his players’ abilities, adding that they will bounce back in the remaining games against Angola and South Africa.

“I believe in my players. I believe that the players we put on the pitch could have won, but it is what it is. It is just one match and we are very proud of what we have done. Now, we have to move on and get four points from the next two matches.”

How Marmoush And Salah pulled Egypt from Depth of Defeat in AFCON Opener

During the match, Zimbabwe scored first through Prince Dube in the 20th minute before Manchester City star Omar Marmoush struck back with a fierce near-post effort in the 64th minute. Liverpool FC forward Mohammed Salah completed the comeback late in the match.

Marinica’s charges will now dust themselves off ahead of the next assignment against Angola on Friday, before taking on Southern Africa rivals South Africa on Monday. South Africa and Egypt are the group’s joint leaders. Hugo Broos’ men saw off Angola 2-1 in an earlier AFCON match played on Monday night.