Galal praises Egypt players following S.Korea defeat, to take some time off

Mahmoud Sheleib , Tuesday 14 Jun 2022

Under-fire coach Ehab Galal praised Egypt's players despite a 4-1 loss to South Korea in a friendly on Tuesday, saying he would take some time off before returning to Cairo amid uncertainty over his future.

Ehab Galal
Egypt coach Ehab Galal. Photo courtesy of EFA Facebook page.

South Korea went 2-0 up inside the first 21 minutes in Seoul, thanks to headers from Ui-jo Hwang and Kim Young-gwon.

Galatasaray striker Mostafa Mohamed, one of only two foreign-based players in Egypt's starting line-up, halved the deficit seven minutes before the break but two late goals from substitute Cho Gue-sung and winger Kwon Chang-hoon completed an emphatic win for Korea.

"The players played very well, especially the young ones who proved that they are very promising. Such games will give them the experience of featuring in big games," Galal told the post-match news conference.

Egypt had only one shot on target, which resulted in their solitary goal by Mostafa Mohamed. However, Galal said he was content with the way his side tried to attack Korea.

"We didn't have problems upfront; we've just played with a different style. Maybe we were rash with some of our attempts but the forwards still put in a fine performance.

"The result is not a reflection of Korea's domination. South Korea had five chances and managed to score four of them. We conceded the goals because of bad luck, not fatigue."

Galal also said he would take a week off before returning to Cairo. Reports suggest that he might be sacked as early as Thursday.

He took over in April following the departure of veteran Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, under whom Egypt reached the Nations Cup final and a final two-legged World Cup qualifying playoff, only to lose both contests to Senegal on penalties.

While Galal kicked off his tenure with a 1-0 home win over Guinea in Egypt's opening Nations Cup qualifier, they appeared largely toothless and all their frailties were then brutally exposed by a vibrant Ethiopia side in their second Group D clash last week, which they lost 2-0 in Malawi.

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