Post-Match Analysis of Egyptian Football Team

Your assessment of the match?

It was within reach, you were very close.

The Egyptian players gave a historic performance.

What is your assessment of the match?

Thank God, we were better. But football is still…

I mean, I see that it's not fair.

For the boys, in English and in Arabic,

what is happening today is not fair.

We had a penalty, a goal was disallowed,

a goal was disallowed— I don't know why it was disallowed.

And after that,

we could have been three- one up, but it turned into two- two.

The penalty play where he was pulled inside the 18, he pulled the guy… Hamdy.

I don't know, maybe it has become about marketing.

I mean, maybe they want to make the World Cup…

They want the previous World Cup champion to be there, they want Messi to be there.

But we did our best, and I thank my players very much.

And I say to the Egyptian fans, and the Egyptian, Arab, and African people,

I say to them… A lot of times you can work hard and do your best,

but at the same time,

entirely different factors make it difficult.

But I tell them, I wished we could have made you happier than this.

And I'm the type who doesn't like losing,

and when it's an unfair loss like today, I...

I mean, I tell them," Don't be sad."

We wanted to make you happier than this, but thank God for everything.

But football has something other than what happens on the pitch.

There are things that happen other than tactics and the match itself.

Even if we are playing against the world champion, at the same time...

there is support from all sides for the world champion,

marketing support, whatever it is.

As a coach, as a manager, the plan and preparation for this match...

Could you give us the outlines, the tactical plan for entering this

match? We play...

This is what I said in the press conference before the match.

We have a style, and thank God, I was confident in the work we do with my players

and the team's development.

And I was working to impose my own style,

and that's what was happening and what was done in all the matches.

We dealt with all the teams by imposing our own style, and we played,

of course, against professional players.

But at the same time, what I'm happy about

is that my players executed well most of the time, and they worked well,

but as I told you, there are external factors that can affect the result.

And at the same time,

even if the goals came from mistakes, but at the same time...

the big mistake is when you don't get your rights from the decision- makers,

who are the other factors I mentioned.

So I say that I'm happy that my players performed in the tournament at the

highest level. And this was a great honor for us, for Egyptian, Arab,

and African football.

And I say to all the fans who watched us and support the Egyptian national team,

whether in the Arab world, Africa, or my country, Egypt, I tell them I was...

I mean, I'm sorry, because I really wanted to go as far as possible.

But don't be upset, because all of this was achieved in a short time.

That we built a national team that honors Egyptian, Arab, and African football.

You spoke about the Egyptian football project, regardless of today's result.

Do you consider today, regardless of the result,

to be a continuation of this Egyptian football project? God willing, of course.

My ambition never stops.

And the ambition of Egyptian football must certainly not stop,

because Egyptian football is very important for Africa and the Arab world.

But thank God, today I see that we want to continue.

With all the national teams,

we didn't care who we were playing against, or who their players were.

We want to build on the fact that we have now entered the heart of global football,

that we fear no one.

I said this yesterday,

I said the match would be difficult for both them and us, but at the same time,

it is more difficult for them. I mean, we...

I am very proud of my players and happy with what we delivered,

but I'm not happy with the external factors.

But development will come, and we will not stop at this goal.

We still have many big goals ahead of us for the Egyptian team to face any team

in the world, with intelligence,

hard work, preparation, diligence, and great support from the management,

coaching staff, and players.

And this is my last question:

What was your message to the Egyptian players after the match?

I told them,' Thank you, you worked hard in the tournament, you did your best,

and I am pleased with you.'

Even if some mistakes happened, I am pleased, very, very pleased with the effort

they put in. I am pleased because, I mean, the players,

the majority of them are from the Egyptian local league.

So all the players we have, as you can see,

while those in other national teams all play professionally in Europe and live in

the European atmosphere.

Yet, we, with local players, of course along with Salah, Omar, and Haytham,

were able to face anyone, and we will face anyone, and we will fight to

make Egyptian football strong and influential on a global level.

But I hope there is fairness.

I mean, as I said, FIFA's motto is Fair Play and Respect.

I think we were treated unfairly in the first match against Belgium.

We had a penalty.

And in the end, today was the same, with fatal and costly mistakes.

But I say that I am happy with my team, and at the same time,

I tell our fans They have every right to be proud that they have a team that plays

respectable football and is not afraid of anyone.

At the same time,

I know that their ambition and mine are greater than this, to go even further.

But it is God's will, and what He wills happens.

Thank God for everything.