U-20 AFCON: Recent negative results against South Africa increased pressure says Egypt coach

The Egyptian U-20 national team kicked off their campaign in the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over South Africa.

After the match, Egypt head coach Osama Nabih praised the team’s performance, noting that the players’ level will continue to improve despite the challenges some of them faced before the start of the tournament.

Speaking about his players’ performance, Nabih said:

“For me, the performance was very good from a tactical standpoint, and the team’s level will naturally improve as we progress through the tournament. Regarding the lineup, I aim for fairness when selecting the starting players. Some arrived late to the training camp due to club commitments, so it was only natural to start those who have been with us for 15 days.”

Nabih also touched on some of the challenges the team faced prior to the match, explaining:

“The fans surprised us, and the squad includes young players who had never experienced such circumstances before. The pressure on them and on the coaching staff increased because of the recent negative results of Egyptian teams and clubs against their South African counterparts.”

The head coach expressed his gratitude to the players, adding:

“I thank the players for their efforts and their focus, which led to winning the match. It’s normal in the opening games of such tournaments that the performance may not be at its best, especially as we prioritized winning over the performance itself in the first match.”