Exciting because Egypt would be playing the record five-time World Cup champions and currently No 6 in the world. Risky because a big loss would have been deflating for the players just days before the real action begins, reports Alaa Abdel-Ghani.
As it turned out, Brazil beat Egypt 2-1 on Saturday, a score that should encourage the Egyptians that, despite the loss, they can hold their own against the brighter lights of the game.
Teenage talent Endrick scored the winning goal in the second half as both teams completed their pre-World Cup preparations.
The match, played at 1am Cairo time at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, drew a crowd of 64,311, many wearing Brazil’s traditional yellow shirt. It was a spirited but messy affair at times, all three goals the result of howlers.
Midfielder Mohanad Lashin dawdled too much as the ball was stolen from him on the edge of the area by Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes who made no mistake drilling past Egypt goalkeeper Mustafa Shobeir to his left after only seven minutes.
Brazil’s lead was short-lived, lasting just three minutes. An under-hit back pass by Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos gifted an alert Mustafa Zico who finished cleanly past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
Shobeir came up big more than once, thwarting breakaways by Vinicius Jr and Igor Thiago in a first half that saw the Brazilians dominate and run rampant on offense.
Endrick made a quick impact, coming in as a substitute, turning Raphinha’s cross into the net in the 52nd minute after right back Mohamed Hani gave the ball away in dangerous territory.
Egypt were more composed in the second half, kept the ball longer but did not pose a serious threat on goal.
Neymar, Brazil’s biggest star, was not available due to injury while Egypt’s biggest name, Mohamed Salah, entered in the second half, had a few possessions which had little impact, skying one with his weaker right foot.
It was the seventh win by Brazil over the Egyptians in seven meetings, dating back to 1960.
But it was the only loss suffered by Egypt in their build-up to the World Cup which included blasting Saudi Arabia 4-0, drawing goalless with Spain, who were No 1 in the world at the time, and edging Russia 1-0.
In a post-match press conference, Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan said the loss would not faze Egypt, emphasising that his competitive nature is in his DNA.
“My genes do not accept defeat. Imagine you are playing a team like Brazil and you do not accept losing at the same time. But my ambitions for this team are much bigger than just a single result,” Hassan said.
“We study every detail concerning our opponents; there is no room for coincidence.
“The group is not easy, but we have prepared ourselves well. We are working with all our might to present a performance that makes the nation proud,” Hassan added.
Egypt launch their World Cup against Belgium on 15 June before facing New Zealand and Iran in Group G.
Brazil open their World Cup Group C campaign against 2022 semi-finalists Morocco on 13 June, before further first round fixtures against Scotland and Haiti.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 11 June, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
Short link: