Egypt’s coach Hossam El-Badry satisfied with winning start despite technical problems
Egypt’s coach Hossam El-Badry says he is satisfied with the winning start of the national football team after Monday’s 1-0 friendly win over Botswana, although he added that the team is suffering from many technical problems.
The Pharaohs hosted Botswana at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium as both sides prepare for next month’s Nations Cup qualifiers.
Ahly’s midfielder Hamdi Fathi enjoyed a dream debut for his international career by scoring the winner against Botswana to set his coach El-Badry off to a winning start to his Pharaohs era.
“I am happy with the camp as a whole, whether winning the match, the gathering, or my impression of both the old and new players,” El-Badry said in the press conference after the match.
“I felt how the players are determined to deliver outstanding performances in the coming period and I thank all of them.
“The camp was a short one, especially after the delay of appointing the technical staff. Winning the first match despite the short preparation period was crucial for us,” the coach added.
Without Egypt’s key star Mohamed Salah, who took a rest in this game, the seven-time African champions struggled to make their domination count against the Zebras, who are at the 139th position in the FIFA world ranking for the month of October.
“It is too early to talk about the players who will remain or depart the squad, especially as the next camp will be held after three weeks,” the former Ahly coach explained.
“We were supposed to have some players like Mohamed Salah, Ramadan Sobhi and Mostafa Mohamed, but we decided to rest the first and allow the other duo to join the Olympic national team ahead of the African Cup.
“The team is suffering from some shortages and many technical problems, and I hope that we achieve our target and have the players overcome any obstacles.
“We were restricted to only six substitutions during the match, but all the new faces will get the chance in the coming period.
“We want to achieve positive results to please the fans. This is our main target and we will do our best to fulfill the fans’ expectations.
“Egypt had the chance to secure a big win against Botswana if we managed to make the best use of the chances against the goal. We dominated the ball positively unlike some selfish performances that appeared previously,” he concluded.
Under El-Badry, who took over last month following the sacking of Mexican Javier Aguirre, Egypt will start their campaign in the Nations Cup qualifiers on 14 November when they host Kenya before facing Comoros in an away game four days later.
Source: Ahram Online
