Egypt's Elneny praises 'organised' Mali after 0-0 draw

Mohamed Mosselhi , Tuesday 17 Jan 2017,

Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny (Photo: Reuters)

Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny hard words of praise for Mali, who proved a stiff opponent in a 0-0 draw in their opening African Cup of Nations clash on Tuesday.

The Pharaohs failed to unlock a watertight Malian defence in a dour Group D game at the Port Gentil Stadium in Gabon, which witnessed few clear-cut chances.

"We played a good game against a tough opponent," Arsenal's Elneny told beIN Sports after the game.

"We were really surprised with how good they are in terms of defensive organisation. They knew how to stop our key players.''

The 25-year-old said Egypt still have a good chance to reach the second round despite Tuesday's draw.

"There are two matches remaining in the group and we have a good chance to qualify," he added.

Egypt will face Uganda on Saturday before ending the group stage with an anticipated clash against Ghana, who defeated Uganda 1-0 earlier this day.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)

Search Keywords:

Mohamed Mosselhi

Mohamed Elneny

Egypt

Mali

AFCON

Nations Cup

Short link:

ADD COMMENT

Your name: *

Your email: *

Comment’s Title: *

Comment:

Ahram Online welcomes readers' comments on all issues covered by the site, along with any criticisms and/or corrections. Readers are asked to limit their feedback to a maximum of 4000 characters (roughly 200 words). All comments/criticisms will, however, be subject to the following code

We will not publish comments which contain rude or abusive language, libelous statements, slander and personal attacks against any person/s.
We will not publish comments which contain racist remarks or any kind of racial or religious incitement against any group of people, in Egypt or outside it.
We welcome criticism of our reports and articles but we will not publish personal attacks, slander or fabrications directed against our reporters and contributing writers.
We reserve the right to correct, when at all possible, obvious errors in spelling and grammar. However, due to time and staffing constraints such corrections will not be made across the board or on a regular basis.