Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan directs his players during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) group B football match between Egypt and Zimbabwe at Adrar Stadium in Agadir. AFP
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said his side must learn from their profligacy in front of goal after opening their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a narrow 2-1 win over Zimbabwe on Monday.
Mohamed Salah struck in stoppage time to secure the victory after Egypt squandered numerous scoring opportunities that could have put the match beyond reach much earlier.
Emam Ashour, Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan, Salah and Omar Marmoush all missed clear chances as the seven-time African champions dominated for long periods without turning control into goals.
“We were unlucky in this game. We wasted many chances and made it harder than it should have been,” Hassan told BeIN Sports after the match.
“I warned the players about this scenario and we have to learn the lesson.”
The 59-year-old explained his decision to substitute Ashour after 33 minutes, shortly after Zimbabwe took the lead, with Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed coming on.
“Emam Ashour is a great player, but he is not fully fit yet after a long absence,” Hassan said. “I decided to take him off to protect him from the pressure.”
Hassan added that the narrow win against a lower-ranked opponent underlined the competitiveness of the tournament.
“There are no easy matches in this competition. We want to compete for the title. Egypt are a big nation in Africa and have the right to fight for the trophy,” he said.
Egypt face South Africa on Friday after Bafana Bafana edged Angola 2-1 in their Group opener earlier on Monday.
The Pharaohs are bidding for a record-extending eighth Africa Cup of Nations title and their first since 2010.
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