Hossam Hassan, the technical director of the Egyptian national team, revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the victory over Australia and qualification for the 2026 World Cup, confirming that preparation for the match and penalty kicks was a decisive factor in achieving the win.
Hossam Hassan said, in statements via On channel: "We were well prepared for the match after facing strong African teams, and we trained on high balls and Australia's strengths, and I tried not to approach the match with awe".
He added: "At half-time, I asked the players to press hard on the Australian players because they possess great fitness and physical strength, and I told them that the stadium is not abroad but in Egypt, due to the large Egyptian crowd presence, and focus and determination were a major reason for the victory".
Regarding the penalty kicks, he explained: "We were very well prepared for them, and I chose Mahmoud Saber to shoot instead of Omar Marmoush because I know his strong personality and his mastery in executing penalties, and I preferred that Mohamed Salah not take the first kick to keep him away from pressure, and this was part of the plan we trained on".
He continued: "I was worried about Hossam Abdel Majeed because of the penalty he missed previously with Zamalek, but he executed his kick in a wonderful way".
The technical director concluded his statements by saying: "Australia's goalkeeper tried to psychologically influence our players, but I asked them to ignore him completely, and execute the kicks in the way we trained, and I was praying to God to grant us success in pleasing the Egyptian fans".
