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| Mohamed Salah/FIFA world cup/Getty images. |
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan credited his players’ mental strength after they converted all four penalties in a shootout victory over Australia on Friday to secure the country’s first-ever World Cup knockout-stage win.
Egypt prevailed 4-2 on penalties after the teams played to a 1-1 draw through extra time, earning a place in the round of 16 and reaching a milestone in the nation’s World Cup history.
Hassan revealed he gathered his players before the shootout to deliver a simple message: ignore the occasion and focus only on taking their kicks.
“I went to the players and talked to them. I wanted to take some pressure off,” Hassan said. “I told them, ‘Do not succumb to the pressure. Do not think about the pressure. Do not look around and wonder what are we supposed to do? Just let that curtain drop. Just let everything out, just don’t think about anything else. Just think about your penalty kick. Don’t even think about the goalkeeper, only your kick.'”
The former Egypt captain, who remains the country’s all-time leading scorer and one of international football’s most capped players, said he understood the psychological burden his squad faced before the shootout.
“As a coach and an ex-player, you know it’s huge pressure,” Hassan said. “They are thinking about everything. They’re thinking about the fans, the noise, about everything.”
Egypt responded with a flawless display from the penalty spot, including a successful conversion by Mohamed Salah, who had previously endured painful shootout defeats with the national team, most notably against Senegal in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.Egypt’s victory sends the African nation into the World Cup round of 16 with renewed confidence as it continues its deepest tournament run in decades
Hassan believed his team deserved to advance after controlling much of the contest despite needing penalties to separate the sides.
“I’m so proud that they made such a strong game from the beginning to the last minute,” he said. “I think for 90% of the match we were controlling matters.”
The coach praised Australia’s resilience but said Egypt consistently placed its opponent under pressure throughout the match.
“Australia offered a great match. They were a great opponent,” Hassan said. “With all due respect to them, there was a lot of pressure that we applied on them.”
Egypt created several scoring opportunities before eventually prevailing, although Hassan admitted he feared his side might be punished after Omar Marmoush missed a clear chance early in the second half.
“We missed a lot of chances, and when Omar Marmoush missed a gift, I thought, ‘OK, something is going wrong,'” Hassan said. “But we rethought the match plan, made a few changes and it worked out for us.”