Saafan Al-Saghir, the goalkeeper coach of the Egyptian national team, revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the penalty kicks against Australia, as well as the moments of his sending off against Argentina in the World Cup.
Mustafa Shobier
Club: Al-Ahly
Saafan said via Al-Nahar channel: "I was very tense about Salah's penalty kick against Australia; I felt my heart would stop, and after the match I told him that, but he replied saying that he kicked the ball this way to give confidence to the rest of the players".
He added, "Before the penalty kicks against Australia, Shobier asked to sit alone for several minutes to focus more, and indeed he went out to the substitutes' bench while Hossam Hassan was giving the final instructions to the takers and sat alone".
He continued, "I told Mohamed Abdel Wahed before Messi’s penalty that Mustafa Shobier would save it, and indeed he did".
He explained, "After retiring from football, I left Egypt and traveled to America, where I worked in a car wash, washing dishes, and delivering orders to homes, and I wished my mother were alive now to see her son achieving glory with the Egyptian national team in America as well".
He went on, "Mac Allister was throwing bottles at the Egyptian national team’s substitutes’ bench, so I went to him to ask why he was doing that; he put his hand over his mouth and spoke, and this gesture was supposed to get him sent off because of it".
He concluded his statements, "The referee saw me entering the pitch and sent me off; at that moment I knew it was over, but the Argentine fitness coach in the Egyptian national team staff prevented me from going to him".
