Egypt players are celebrating Omar Marmoush's fourth goal in the 4-0 friendly victory over Saudi Arabia. Photo: EFA's official X account.
Winger Islam Issa opened the scoring for Egypt just four minutes into the match, followed by Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan’s 16th-minute header and Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed’s goal one minute before halftime.
Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush sealed the 4-0 victory shortly after the break.
Hossam Hassan fielded a strong starting XI without Liverpool injured star Mohamed Salah, opting to hand goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir the nod ahead of regular custodian Mohamed El Shenaway, while giving Islam Issa his first start in an international fixture.
Clinical finishing seals emphatic win
The Pharaohs began the match cautiously, relying on a well-organised defensive structure that allowed the hosts to control the early tempo.
However, against the run of play, midfielder Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed unlocked the defence with a clever setup for Islam Issa on the left flank, as the winger dribbled past a defender and the goalkeeper before slotting the ball into the bottom left corner from close range.
Following the opener, Egypt seized control of possession, applying relentless pressure to double their lead.
While Issa and Trezeguet tested the Saudi defence, the hosts pushed hard for an equaliser, exploiting the left flank where Ayman Yahya posed a consistent threat.
Egypt doubled their advantage in the 16th minute through winger Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan. Zizo, receiving a long pass on the right, found unmarked right-back Mohamed Hany, whose precise cross was met with a brilliant header from Trezeguet from very close range.
The Green Falcons came close to reducing the deficit in the 22nd minute when striker Firas Al-Buraikan capitalised on a blunder by Shobeir, but his effort drifted wide for a goal kick.
Saudi Arabia continued to apply pressure, yet they failed to create clear-cut chances, while Egypt remained dangerous on the counter-attack.
Khalid Al-Ghannam squandered a golden opportunity three minutes after the half-hour mark when found one-on-one with Shobeir, but the Egyptian goalkeeper produced a crucial save to deny the hosts.
At the other end, Zizo forced Saudi goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi into a brilliant save with a curving shot, while Marwan Attia’s effort sailed over the crossbar.
Just before the break, midfielder Emam Ashour threaded a perfect through ball to find Zizo one-on-one with Al Aqidi, with the playmaker delicately lobbing the goalkeeper from inside the box to send Egypt into halftime with a comfortable three-goal cushion.
Hossam Hassan made a double substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on Mohannad Lashin and Haissem Hassan for Ashour and Trezeguet to freshen up the squad.
Egypt continued to dominate possession, controlling the tempo as Saudi attempts on goal faltered.
Marmoush briefly saw a solo run ruled out for offside ten minutes after the restart, but he made amends a minute later, connecting with Ahmed Fatouh’s cross, the Manchester City star unleashed a powerful shot from outside the area to register Egypt’s fourth goal.
Before the hour mark, both coaches utilised FIFA’s new friendly match regulations, allowing up to 11 changes, to test their squads ahead of the 2026 World Cup finals.
Second-half substitute Haissem Hassan threatened with a powerful long-range effort in the 69th minute, only to be denied by two crucial saves from Al-Aqidi.
Late in the game, Saudi defender Saud Abdulhamid tested Shobeir with a long-range strike that sailed just past the post.
Three minutes from time, Hossam Hassan handed Nice defender Mohamed Abdelmonem some playing time following his long injury lay-off, replacing Hamdy Fathy.
Egypt will now travel to Barcelona to face Spain on Tuesday at the RCDE Stadium, home of Espanyol, in their next warm-up fixture.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: