Despite a narrow 1-0 win over Tanzania in a friendly on Thursday, Egypt coach Javier Aguirre has praised the performance of his players and said he found the match beneficial.
Egypt needed a second-half goal from Ahmed Elmohamady to break down minnows Tanzania in the first of two warm-up games for the African Cup of Nations on home soil.
"Egypt’s national team players introduced a good game against Tanzania," Aguirre told a post-game press conference.
"The game was equal; we tried to reach the Tanzanian nets through crosses and we succeeded in making use of this tactic," he added.
"We, of course, wanted to score more goals, but I am satisfied with the players' performance.
"We made use of the friendly by testing more players so I thank all players for following the instructions,” he said.
"Tanzania’s goalkeeper must be appreciated for his performance during the game," the Egypt national team coach concluded.
The Pharaohs face Guinea on Sunday, with their Nations Cup campaign to kick off against Zimbabwe at Cairo Stadium on 21 June. They will also meet Uganda and DR Congo in Group A of the tournament.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)