Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egyptian national team, praised the players’ performance after the landslide victory over the South Sudan national team, 5-0, in the qualifiers for the 2027 African Cup of Nations.
Hossam Hassan said in the press conference after the match that was held on Tuesday in Juba: “I am very happy with the result and the team’s performance. All the players performed what was required of them, whether the starters or the substitutes.”
He added: “Confronting South Sudan was not easy. They were not a bad team, but we dominated thanks to our focus, the efforts of the players, the method of playing, and the skill in studying the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent.”
The Pharaohs national team coach said, “The victory was achieved in difficult circumstances, especially in light of the high temperatures and not being accustomed to playing matches on artificial grass, but we prepared the players for all of that.”
Hossam Hassan concluded his statements by saying: “The decline after the World Cup is normal after the players took a long vacation, then regular preparation periods, and only five rounds of the league championship passed.”
With its victory in South Sudan, the Egyptian national team takes the lead in the second group of qualifiers with 4 points after a goalless draw with Angola in Cairo in the first round last Friday.
On the other hand, the South Sudan national team is at the bottom of the standings without points after a second loss in a row, after the defeat against Malawi in the first round.
For his part, Ahmed Fattouh, the left back for Zamalek and the Egyptian national team, suffered a bruise in the thigh during the confrontation with South Sudan.
The media center of the Egyptian Football Association stated, on Tuesday, that Fattouh complained of pain in his thigh after suffering a bruise during the match, so he underwent an initial examination by the Egyptian national team’s medical staff.
The player is scheduled to undergo medical examinations to determine the extent of the injury and the duration of his absence before the Egyptian national team delegation returns to Cairo.
The Egyptian national team achieved its first victory in the qualifiers with a sweeping victory over South Sudan, 5-0, in Juba, after a goalless draw with Angola last Friday in Cairo.
The Egyptian national team will conclude its international break this month by facing South Africa in a friendly match next Sunday at Cairo Stadium.
The Moroccan national team returned with 3 valuable points from outside its home stadium by defeating its host, Lesotho, with a score of 2-0, on Tuesday, in the second round of the qualifiers for the 2027 African Cup of Nations, in the match that was held in the city of Bloemfontein in South Africa.
The Atlas Lions owe this victory to midfield star Azzedine Onahi, who contributed to the first goal scored by Ibrahim Diaz, the Spanish Real Madrid player, in the 45th minute.
Ounahi scored the second goal in the 82nd minute, confirming the Moroccans' superiority.
With this victory, the Moroccan national team takes the lead in Group A with 6 points, achieving the full score after a 2-0 victory over Gabon in the first round.
On the other hand, the Lesotho national team is at the bottom of the standings without points, with a second loss in a row after falling 1-2 to Niger in the first round.
As for the Algerian national team, it escaped defeat against its host, the Burundian national team, and tied with them 2-2, on Tuesday, in the second round of the ninth group matches.
Ibrahim Hamdani, Algeria's coach, made 4 changes to the starting lineup that won in the first round 3-1 over Zambia, last Friday, at Hussein Ait Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou.
Burundi took the lead with an own goal in the fifth minute, which Fares Shaybi accidentally scored into the net of fellow goalkeeper Malvin Mastil.
In the 12th minute, the Burundian national team added the second goal through Jean-Claude, following another defensive error by the Algerian national team.
The Algerian team regained its balance somewhat, half an hour after the start, and Mohamed Bachir Belloumi succeeded in reducing the difference, ending the first half with Algeria trailing 2-1.
In the second half, Algeria's attempts continued until they tied in the 63rd minute with a goal scored by Adil Boulbena following a free kick.
Burundi scored its first point, while Algeria raised its score to 4 points at the top of the group, which also includes Togo and Zambia.
The Egyptian Zamalek team qualified for the third-place match and the bronze medal in the Men’s Handball Club World Cup (Super Globe), currently being held in the New Administrative Capital in Egypt.
Zamalek achieved a difficult victory over Brazilian Pinheiros, 28-27, on Tuesday, at the end of its matches in the first group of the main round of the competition, to secure second place in the group.
Zamalek ended the first half with a 16-14 lead before maintaining its advantage during the second half and deciding the match by one goal.
Zamalek is scheduled to play the match for third place and the bronze medal, on Thursday, against the second-placed team in Group Two, where it will meet the winner of the match between its traditional rivals Al-Ahly of Egypt and FOX Berlin of Germany, which will be held later on Tuesday evening, in the final round of the group.
The Hungarian Veszprém qualified for the final match of the competition, after being at the top of the standings of the second group, as it currently has 4 points on its score, with a difference of two points in front of its closest rivals, Fox Berlin and Al-Ahly, who are in second and third place respectively, who were defeated by the Hungarian club, which concludes its matches in the group against Burgan of Kuwait, which is at the bottom of the standings without points, also on Tuesday.
Veszprem set a date in the final, which will be held on Thursday, with Spanish Barcelona, which also clinched the top spot in Group A with 4 points, after its victory over Zamalek and Pinheiros, as it plays its final match in the tournament against the Moroccan Sultan Forum, bottom of the standings with no points, on Tuesday.
