Egypt s coach Hossam Hassan. Photo: AFP
The Pharaohs lost 4-2 to the Croatian team in the Egypt Capital Cup final, handing newly appointed coach Hassan his first taste of defeat in his second game with the team.
“Croatia were the favorites to win, but we wanted to achieve a surprise and already we opened the score before missing a certain goal by Mostafa Mohamed; a chance that had to make the difference for us,” Hassan told ONtime Sports TV channel after the game.
“Despite the loss, we benefited a lot from the game. I was determined to play this friendly tournament as it is the best preparation for the World Cup qualifiers next June,” the former Ahly and Zamalek star added.
Hossam, who won the tournament’s opening match against New Zealand, heaped praise on fans for their presence, while also noting that the absence of several players harmed his team’s performance.
“Fans were the best thing today and I hoped to please them. I told my players that the big benefit from this tournament is seeing fans returning to the stands,” the coach explained.
“We missed five instrumental players against Croatia, including the injured trio Mohamed El Shennawy, Ahmed Zizo, and Emam Ashour and the performance will be different once all the injured players including Pyramids FC winger Ramadan Sobhi return to action,” he added.
Hassan insisted that he is optimistic about his team's chances after seeing how disappointed his players were losing the tournament title, despite it being a friendly.
Egypt's 2026 World Cup qualifiers campaign will begin on 3 June with a home match against Burkina Faso, followed by an away game against Guinea Bissau a week later.
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