Hossam Hassan: South Africa's style of play is like a club team's... and we're ready for it

Hossam Hassan, the Egyptian national team coach, spoke ahead of their match against South Africa tomorrow in the second round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, emphasizing: "All matches are important, and we respect all teams. South Africa is a strong team, but we play to achieve positive results. We play to win and secure the three points."

Hassan said in the press conference: "We take each match one at a time and study the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents. I thank the Egyptian and Moroccan fans for their support during the Zimbabwe match, and we feel comfortable being in our sister country, Morocco."

Hassan confirmed that all the Egyptian players are ready, especially the goalkeepers, and expressed his confidence in them all, stating they are capable of protecting the national team's goal. He added that he is happy with the Egyptian public's support for the national team and that he has faith in all the players, noting that every match requires a different approach.

Hossam Hassan said, "My role as head coach is to address any mistakes that may occur during the match, and the status of Mostafa Mohamed and Mohamed Hamdy will be decided in today's training session." He pointed out that the tournament includes strong teams, which is to be expected, and that while the tournament is not easy, they are ready.

He continued, "South Africa's style of play is similar to their clubs, but we are prepared. We have faced their clubs, Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Pyramids, on several occasions, and we defeated South Africa in 1998. God willing, we will repeat that victory."