Hossam Hassan: I Would Have Played Awad or El Mahdy in the Second Half If We Were Leading Against Botswana
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan reveals his tactical plan after the 1-1 draw with Botswana in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, confirming he was ready to give Awad or El Mahdy a chance if Egypt had been ahead.
🎙️ Following Egypt’s 1-1 draw with Botswana in the final round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, head coach Hossam Hassan expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, emphasizing that the most important thing was finishing the qualifiers unbeaten and securing a place in the continental tournament. 🇪🇬
🧤 Hassan revealed in the post-match press conference that he was planning to give Mohamed Awad or El Mahdy Suleiman playing time in the second half if the match had been in Egypt’s favor, saying: “If the result had been comfortable in the first half, I would have brought in Awad or El Mahdy.”
💬 The Egyptian coach also defended his team’s performance, questioning why some people undermine the national team’s achievements while praising local clubs facing strong opponents such as Rwandan Army, Simba SC, and Abu Salim of Libya.
⚽ The match, held at El Defa El Gawy Stadium, saw Botswana take the lead in the 8th minute through Ametla Kipathu, before Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ equalized for Egypt in the 16th minute with a powerful strike.
📊 With this result, Egypt topped Group C with 14 points, while Botswana finished second with 8 points, as both teams qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals. 🏅
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