Mohamed Abu El-Ela, head of the medical staff for the Egyptian national team, stressed that the period between the matches against Iran and Australia was the most difficult for the medical staff during the Pharaohs' journey in the 2026 World Cup, due to the many injuries that struck the team before the round of 32 match.
The Egyptian national team delegation arrived this Friday morning at Alamein Airport, after the team's journey in the World Cup ended.
Mohamed Abu El-Ela, head of the medical staff for the Egyptian national team, said on MBC Egypt 2: "I have said before that 11 years of my work with the Egyptian national team is one thing, and the week between the matches against Iran and Australia is another. It was the most difficult period for the medical staff, because we faced a large number of injuries before the first knockout match in the history of the Egyptian national team at the World Cup".
He added, "We came out of the match against Iran with serious injuries, and we had to prepare the players in a short time. Thank God, there was great harmony with the technical staff, and we succeeded in preparing most of the injured players to join the match against Australia".
He continued, "Mohamed Salah is one of the best players in the world, and this level of players requires a special medical program. We dealt with him appropriately between the matches against Iran and Australia, and he appeared in his best form, played the full 120 minutes, and successfully converted a penalty kick".
He went on, "Ahmed Fattouh pushed himself against Iran despite my repeated requests to substitute him. Fattouh has made great progress in his treatment program, and if we had qualified for the quarterfinals, he would have been ready to participate, and he will be ready for the preparation period with Zamalek".
He stressed, "Hossam Abdel Majeed suffered a wound in the eye, and showed signs of a concussion, so we requested his substitution according to the regulations to preserve his safety, and we benefited from the additional substitution".
He concluded his statements, "Hossam Hassan and Ibrahim Hassan are ready to sacrifice everything for the Egyptian national team. They may forget themselves and their medicines, but they never forget their responsibilities towards the team".
The Egyptian national team was close to qualifying for the quarterfinals, after leading by two goals against Argentina until the 79th minute.
But the Argentine national team succeeded in turning the result around and winning 3-2, amid controversial refereeing decisions.
The Egyptian national team achieved its first-ever win in the World Cup in its fourth participation against New Zealand with a score of 3-1.
The Egyptian national team also advanced from the group stage for the first time in history, as well as qualifying for the round of 16 in a historic achievement.
The Egyptian national team scored 8 goals in 5 matches, in the longest scoring streak in the history of the Pharaohs' World Cup participations.
