Egypt national team coach Hector Cuper has said that he is satisfied with the Pharaohs’ strikers after the 3-0 loss to Belgium in the team’s final World Cup warm-up match, blaming poor defence instead for the loss.
After the goalless draw with Colombia last week, the Pharaohs were outplayed by a vibrant Belgium on Wednesday, in their last friendly before heading to Russia to make their first World Cup appearance since 1990.
"In a comparison with what we did during the goalless draw against Colombia, our defence was not on form today against Belgium," Cuper told reporters after the friendly.
Romelu Lukaku opened the score for Belgium in the 27th minute, Chelsea forward Eden Hazard doubled their advantage 11 minutes later, and Marouane Fellaini scored the third goal in the stoppage time.
Egypt improved considerably in the second half, making some swift moves in the final third, but their finishing touches hampered them.
"After the Belgium friendly I am satisfied with Egypt national team strikers," Cuper said.
"Marwan Mohsen, Amr Warda and Kahraba are on form and they are promising."
Egypt have failed to win any of their three pre-World Cup friendlies, drawing with Kuwait and Colombia and losing to Belgium. They also extended their winless run to six matches, with their last victory coming against Congo in the World Cup qualifiers last October.
The Pharaohs will kick off their World Cup campaign on 15 June against Uruguay and then face hosts Russia on 19 June. Their final group-stage match will be against Saudi Arabia on 25 June.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)