Egypt coach Hossam Hassan: “I wish Salah could score a million goals”

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan dismissed the idea of being in easy qualifiers after his team defeated Ethiopia 2-0 at Cairo International Stadium in the seventh round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Hassan emphasized the desire of collecting maximum points in the remaining fixtures:

“I told the players before the match that we have 12 points to collect, and we must secure them all. We need a positive result against Burkina Faso in order to qualify for the World Cup.”

Hassan dismissed the idea of “easy qualifiers” or “weak opponents,” highlighting the need for focus:

“There are no easy qualifiers or weak teams. Football has different standards. Ethiopia had the ability and potential, and if we had not worked properly, the game could have been much tougher.”

Reflecting on the match, Egypt coach added:

“We created many chances beyond the two goals, and even if both came from penalties, they were the product of pressure. We were unlucky in front of goal, but we maintained our points advantage, and the best is yet to come.”

Looking ahead to the decisive fixture, Hossam Hassan said:

“Burkina Faso are a strong opponent. They insisted on hosting the match at home rather than in Morocco, with intervention from their head of state. But we are ready, because Egypt is a big team with great ambition.”

On Egypt’s history in the World Cup, he stressed the urgency to qualify:

“Egypt have only qualified for the World Cup three times, and that is too little for Egyptian football. This time we must be there.”

Egypt coach also spoke about Mohamed Salah potentially breaking his scoring record:

“My number of goals was 83, but FIFA reduced it to 68. Still, I wish Salah could score a million goals. When I was a player, they said Hassan El-Shazly scored 124 goals in the league, and when I got close, they said he had 173. In the end, if Salah surpasses me, I will be the first to congratulate him.”

On the penalty-taking duties, Hassan clarified:

“Mohamed Salah is the first-choice penalty taker within a trio I designated, which includes Omar Marmoush. The decision for the second penalty was agreed among the players on the pitch. As long as it was one of the three, I have no problem.”

Egypt coach also addressed injuries:

“When a club misses one player, it can be an issue. We faced many problems and injuries, but we always found solutions. With Abdelmonem absent, Rami Rabia was at risk after an earlier injury. I insisted on including Marwan Attia to give him match sharpness, as I will need him against Burkina Faso, even though he didn’t feature today because he is returning from injury and has two bookings.”

With this victory, Egypt maintained their lead in Group A and edged closer to securing a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Group A standings – World Cup Qualifiers:

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