Egypt forward Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan celebrates after scoring the Pharaohs' second goal during the freiiendly against Saudi Arabia. Photo: EFA's official X account.
Full time: Saudi Arabia 0-4 Egypt
Scorers: Islam Issa 4', Trezeguet 16', Zizo 44', Marmoush 56'
Yellow cards:
Mohamed Kanno, Muteb Al-Mufarrij (Saudi Arabia)
Lineups:
Saudi Arabia: Nawaf Al Aqidi - Saud Abdulhamid, Abdulelah Al Amri, Ali Lajami (Marwan Al Sahafi 23'), Hassan Kadesh (Abdulelah Al-Amri 46' (Abdulelah El-Hemdan 61')), Ayman Yahya (Ali Majrashi 46), Mohamed Kanno (Ziyad Aljohani 87'), Musab Al Juwayr (Naif Masoud 46'), Salman Al Faraj (Sultan Mndash 61'), Khaled Al Ghannam (Rayan Hamed 61'), Firas Al Buraikan (Saleh El-Shahry 61')
Egypt: Mostafa Shobier (Mohamed El-Shenawy 57') - Ahmed Fattouh (Hossam Abdelmaguid 76'), Yasser Ibrahim (Ramy Rabia 57'), Hamdy Fathy (Mohamed Abdelmonem 87'), Mohamed Hany (Tarek Alaa 76') - Marwan Attia (Ahmed Nabil Kouka 76'), Emam Ashour (Mohannad Lashin 46'), Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan (Haissem Hassan 46'), Islam Issa (Mahmoud Saber 57') - Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Ibrahim Adel 57'), Omar Marmoush (Mostafa Mohamed 57')
----------------------------------------------------------------------
90+3' The referee blows the final whistle.
90' The fourth official announces three minutes of added time.
87' Defender Mohamed Abdelmonem makes his long-awaited return from injury, coming on as a substitute for Hamdy Fathy.
84' Saud Abdulhamid tries his luck with a long-range strike from outside the box, but it sails just past the left post.
78' Egypt have made ten substitutions compared to eight for Saudi Arabia so far, as FIFA’s new rule allows up to 11 changes in friendly matches.
69' WHAT A CHANCE! Substitute Haissem Hassan unleashes a powerful shot from outside the box, but goalkeeper Al Aqidi makes two crucial saves to deny him.
65' Egypt dominate possession as the substitutes look to impress and showcase their style.
60' Both teams make several substitutions, using the match to test their squads ahead of the 2026 World Cup finals.
56' GOAL!! Marmoush fires a powerful shot from outside the box to give Egypt their fourth.
55' Mamroush makes a solo run into the box, but the Saudi defence clears the danger, and the referee whistles for offside.
47' Egypt coach Hossam Hassan makes a double substitution, bringing on Mohannad Lashin and Haissem Hassan for Emam Ashour and Trezeguet.
46' Second half is underway!
45+2' Halftime!
45' The fourth official announces two minutes of added time.
44' GOAL For Egypt! Zizo scores the third with a delicate lob over the goalkeeper from inside the box.
43' WHAT A CHANCE! Egypt come close to a third as Zizo dribbles into the box and squares it to Trezeguet, but the Saudi defence clears the danger.
40' Egypt continue to pose a threat on the counter-attack, with Zizo and Trezeguet troubling Saudi Arabia’s defence.
33' WHAT A CHANCE! Saudi Arabia’s Khaled Al Ghannam goes one-on-one with Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who makes a crucial save.
31' Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Kanno is booked for a foul on Emam Ashour in midfield.
25' Hosts Saudi Arabia continue to apply pressure in search of a goal back, while Egypt look dangerous on the counter-attack.
23' Coach Hervé Renard makes an early substitution, bringing on Marwan Al Sahafi to replace Ali Lajami in an attempt to curb Egypt’s threat down the left flank.
16' Right-back Mohamed Hany delivers a precise cross into the area, and Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan heads Egypt’s second from close range!
16' GOAL!! Egypt double their lead.
12' Saudi Arabia are pushing hard for an equaliser, exploiting the left flank where left-back Ayman Yahya has posed a consistent threat to Egypt’s defence so far.
7’ Egypt dominate possession after taking the early lead, with Issa and Trezeguet trying their luck.
4’ Egypt winger Ahmed Sayed Zizo capitalizes on a counterattack, delivering a clear assist to Islam Issa, who fires a powerful strike from inside the area into the net.
4' GOAL FOR EGYPT!
3’ Saudi Arabia start with high pressure on Egypt’s defence, but without creating any real threat.
0' Match is underway
----------------------------------------------------------------------
19:15 Players are warming up.
18:15 Egypt coach Hossam Hassan starts the game with goalkeeper Shobier instead of regular Mohamed El-Shenawy. He has also handed Islam Issa his first start, alongside Ahmed Sayed Zizo, as a replacement for the injured Salah.
17:00 Egypt qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals in style, topping Group A with 26 points, five clear of second-placed Burkina Faso, and completing a 10-game unbeaten run.
15:00 The match against Saudi Arabia is Egypt’s first step in their World Cup preparations, with another friendly scheduled against Spain on 31 March.
14:30 Egypt will be without captain Mohamed Salah, who is sidelined with an injury sustained during Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League match against Galatasaray.
14:00 Egypt are aiming to recover from their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, where they finished fourth after losing to Nigeria on penalties in the third-place match.
13:30 Hassan has named a 26-man squad, including first-time call-ups Haissem Hassan and Nasser Mansi.
13:00 Egypt will face Iran, New Zealand and Belgium in Group G at the 2026 World Cup.
12:30 Coach Hossam Hassan said the choice of Saudi Arabia as an opponent is linked to preparing for Asian teams, particularly Iran.
12:00 Saudi Arabia qualified for the World Cup after a 0-0 draw against Iraq in the Asian play-offs, securing their third consecutive appearance.
11:30 Saudi Arabia finished third in the FIFA Arab Cup in December 2025.
11:00 Coach Hervé Renard said Saudi Arabia aim to deliver a strong performance before another friendly against Serbia.
10:30 Egypt lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their last meeting at the 2018 World Cup group stage.
Venue: Alinma Stadium
Check the match preview HERE.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: