Hossam Hassan, the technical director of the Egyptian national team, revealed what happened between the two halves of the New Zealand match in the 2026 World Cup.
The Egyptian national team turned their first-half deficit into a 3-1 victory against New Zealand, achieving the first win in the history of the World Cup for the Pharaohs.
The technical director of the Egyptian national team said on ON channel: "Before the New Zealand match, I warned the players, and between the halves I told them that I would make changes after 5 minutes from the start of the second half if the performance of some players did not improve".
He added, "I asked the players to forget what happened in the first half, and I felt that they were up to the responsibility. My reaction was positive because we had not achieved anything in the tournament yet".
He continued, "The half against New Zealand was not entirely bad, but we did not play with the same style, pressure, and determination that I requested and that the players trained on, and we made many passing errors".
He added, "Before the players went down to the pitch, they talked among themselves that they would start the match from now, because they felt they had fallen short and that their goal of achieving the first win was slipping away from us".
He went on, "Football in Egypt is a soft power, and people can be satisfied when the Egyptian national team wins".
He continued, "Since the beginning of my coaching of the Egyptian national team, I have tried to ensure we have a personality and that the players do not think about the opponent".
He stressed, "I deliberately avoided mentioning the names of Messi or Doku or Argentina or Belgium; instead, I would say player number 10 or the opponent so that the players would not be affected".
He explained, "Previous generations were wronged because they lacked confidence amid the exaggeration of the opponent's strength and capabilities".
He added, "In press conferences, I used to take pride that the Egyptian national team squad was from the Egyptian league, because when we play without fear or frustration, we achieve great results".
Regarding the match against Belgium that ended in a draw, he said: "We were closer to winning against Belgium in the first match, and we had a penalty that was not awarded in favor of Zizo, and the referee did not officiate any match in the tournament afterward, and I was not satisfied with the draw against them".
He continued about the match against Australia: "We outperformed them in the second half of the second half and during the two extra halves, despite some saying we would not outperform them physically, and we were ready because the players implemented what we had worked on over the past two years".
He revealed, "The players correcting their mistakes was not a coincidence because they implement what they learned when they increased their focus and their morale rose".
He praised, "The Egyptian fans created a scene in the history of the World Cup, whether those who lived in America or Canada, and some who came after a 15-hour journey".
He concluded, "What we gained from the World Cup is the rallying of the fans around the Egyptian national team from the youngest to the oldest supporter and the increased sense of belonging to the country, and also the Arab peoples were happy with what we presented, and even the Americans respected what we did".
Hossam Hassan took over coaching the Egyptian national team in February 2024 and began his journey with the Egyptian national team in March with the match against New Zealand.
Since then, he has led the Egyptian national team in 35 matches, winning 19, drawing 10, and losing 5.
The Egyptian national team finished second in Group Seven with 5 points, behind the Belgian national team by goal difference.
In the group stage, the Egyptian national team drew against Belgium and Iran, and won against New Zealand 3-1.
The Pharaohs achieved victory against Australia in the round of 32 on penalties, before losing to defending champions Argentina in the round of 16.
