Egypt national team coach Hossam Hassan directs players ahead of Uzbekistan game in Al Ain Cup. EFA official X account.
The loss marked the second defeat under Hassan’s leadership, who has overseen 17 games since taking charge in February 2024. His first loss came in a 4-2 defeat to Croatia in a friendly tournament in March.
Hassan has guided Egypt to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals and the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with 11 wins and 4 draws.
“Individual mistakes caused the loss to Uzbekistan, especially after our strong performance in the second half,” Hassan said at the post-match press conference.
“Friendly matches are important for learning and correcting mistakes, especially as the team is missing key players,” he added.
“We were without eight key players from the regular starting lineup, but it was an opportunity for new faces like Marwan Osman, Osama Faisal, Zalaka, and Mahmoud Saber to get playing time,” the 59-year-old coach explained.
“We missed the services of Mohamed Abdelmonem, Emam Ashour, and Mohannad Lashin in midfield, as well as Ibrahim Adel and Omar Marmoush up front,” Hassan noted.
Uzbekistan’s Oston Urunov opened the scoring just four minutes into the match and doubled their lead two minutes before halftime.
“Uzbekistan is a strong team with talented players who helped them qualify for the World Cup, but we were not focused on the first goal and the defense was poor on the second goal,” Hassan said.
Egypt will now face Cape Verde in the third-place decider on Monday, after Cape Verde lost to Iran in the other semifinal.
Egypt's participation in the Al Ain Cup is part of their preparations for the 2025 AFCON, which kicks off in Morocco in December.
The Pharaohs have been drawn into Group B, where they will face Angola, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
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