Soccer Football - African Nations Cup Qualifier - Egypt v Swaziland - Al-Salam Stadium, Cairo, Egypt - October 12, 2018 Egypt coach Javier Aguirre during the match REUTERS
Egypt’s coach Javier Aguirre blamed the poor quality of the pitch for causing injuries to several players during his side’s 4-1 victory over eSwatini on Friday in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
“The pitch of el-Salam stadium is very poor. It does not help the players to perform normally,” the Mexican coach told a press conference after the game.
Team star Mohamed Salah was stretched off the game with a muscle strain. Also Amro Tarek was forced off the field after 56 minutes because of a muscle injury which will keep him out of Egypt’s next game against eSwatini on Tuesday.
“Salah’s injury is not clear. The player will undergo scans,” the 59-year-old tactician added.
Regarding the Pharaohs' lackluster display in the second half, Aguirre said it is not easy to maintain a top performance for the entire 90 minutes but “What is important is to win and secure the 3 points to qualify”
Aguirre revealed that he intends to rest some key players ahead of eSwatini next game on Tuesday including Salah and Mohamed Elneny.
After Friday's 4-1 win, Egypt are co-leaders of Group J with 6 points following a brilliant first half display that saw all the highlights for the Pharaohs.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: