Egypt coach: ‘I believe I achieved a record’

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan expressed his satisfaction with what the Pharaohs delivered at the Africa Cup of Nations, stressing that he has suffered only one official defeat with the national team, which came via penalty shootouts against Nigeria — a scenario he described as a matter of luck and fortune.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Hassan said:
“We delivered a strong tournament and I am proud of the players, the value of the Egypt national team, and what we achieved. We exceeded expectations that were set for us before the tournament and did not let the Egyptian fans down.”

He added:
“We reached the final day of the tournament, and it could have been either us or Nigeria reaching the final. Luck and small details made the difference. This would have been my opinion even if we had won today. Penalty shootouts are about luck and fortune, and Nigeria have top-level players.”

Hassan revealed that Egypt were missing several players in the match.
“Today, I was missing half the team or more. Marwan Attia and Salah Mohsen were suspended after the tactical meeting yesterday evening. After we discussed everything regarding Nigeria, we were suddenly informed of their suspension.”

He continued:
“Around two-thirds of the squad are playing the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, and we have a small number of palyers abroad. Look at the other teams and the number of players they have in European leagues. That is why I am satisfied with the players, and God willing we will improve more in the coming period and the level will be different.”

The Egypt coach also spoke about penalty shootouts, saying:
“We trained on penalty kicks every day, but they have no fixed standards. Luck plays a major role, in addition to goalkeepers’ brilliance. Today, two of the best players in the world missed their penalties. We have played 21 international matches and lost only one, and I believe this is a record.”

When asked about the behavior of Moroccan fans during the Egypt–Nigeria match, Hassan commented:
“No comment. Everyone is free to support whoever they want.”

He added:
“At the World Cup, we supported the host nation and were happy with what they presented and with their coach, who is a great coach despite his young age and deserves full respect.”

Hassan concluded by saying:
“We were extremely proud in Egypt of an Arab African team and its level at the World Cup. We will not judge anyone who supported a team in the stands today. In the end, we are supposed to be one family.”

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