Egypt coach Hossam Hassan during the national team training. Photo courtesy of EFA.
The Pharaohs, seven-time African champions, participated in a four-team friendly tournament in the UAE alongside Iran, Cape Verde, and Uzbekistan.
Egypt opened their campaign with a 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the semifinals on Friday, before claiming third place after beating Cape Verde 2-0 on penalties following a 1-1 draw on Monday.
"We benefited from the two friendly games after relying on several different players. I am searching for the utmost benefit from the friendlies," the coach said in the press conference after the Cape Verde game.
"I would like to thank my players for their effort during the two games. Fatigue and the intensive match schedule were reasons behind seeing many players injured," the former Egypt striker added.
Hassan’s team travelled to the Al Ain International Cup already without some key players, including midfielders Mohanad Lasheen and Ibrahim Adel due to injury. The situation worsened as winger Ahmed “Zizo” El-Sayed and midfielder Hamdy Fathy were ruled out of the Cape Verde game after sustaining injuries against Uzbekistan.
"There were several absentees during November’s camp, but that didn’t affect us negatively," the Egypt coach explained.
More support needed
Hassan faced criticism for the team’s performance after the opening loss to Uzbekistan, but the former Ahly and Zamalek star defended his results and called for more support for his technical staff.
"I hope that there will be support for the national coach. We were criticized after the loss, and I respect the positive and technical criticism," Hassan said.
"We managed to reach both the World Cup and African Cup of Nations finals without a single loss, while big names in Africa didn’t qualify," the coach concluded.
Under Hassan, Egypt qualified for the AFCON finals after topping Group C in the qualifiers with 14 points. The Pharaohs have been drawn in Group B at AFCON alongside Angola, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Hassan has also secured a place for the Pharaohs in the 2026 World Cup finals in North America.
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