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Following his side's draw with Iran that earned them a first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout qualification, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said that superstar player Mohamed Salah will be assessed after he asked to be substituted during the match.
Salah's fitness is a concern ahead of the knockout phase as he was replaced 12 minutes into the second half. Now, the coach has said that it is too early to determine the extent of the issue. Telling beIN Sports, as quoted by Reuters, Hossam said, "He asked to come off. If a player asks to be substituted, it means he felt something." "We will make sure what the problem is. We will assess him," he added. Hassan also said that left-back Ahmed Fatouh will also undergo evaluation after suffering an injury, while being optimistic that their midfielder Hamdi Fathi will recover in time for Egypt's historic round of 32 match against Australia on Friday after he gave the Iran clash a miss. Despite the fitness concerns surrounding multiple players, Egypt's coach enjoys confidence in his "warriors", with his team finishing second in the group with a win, draw and loss, behind Belgium on the basis of goal difference. He said that he has "complete confidence in everyone in the squad". "I have warriors. I have Egyptian players who are worthy of the trust placed in them," he said. "I do not worry about missing players. I have complete confidence in everyone in this squad. If I worried every time we had an injury, then I would not be fit to coach the Egypt national team," he added. Hossam was also happy with Egypt's historic progress to WC knockouts, saying, "We will prepare ourselves, work hard and do everything we can for what is coming next." Iran, meanwhile, remains in contention for a place in the knockout rounds as one of the best third-placed teams. They have three points after having drawn all their matches. Egypt made a strong start to the match, taking the lead when Mahmoud Sabre converted from close range after Mohamed Salah's deflected effort was parried by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. Iran responded with a golden opportunity to equalise in the ninth minute after Mehdi Taremi was brought down by Mohamed Abdelmonem, but Mostafa Shobeir saved the resulting penalty. Shobeir produced another key save to deny Milad Mohammadi before Iran eventually levelled through Ramin Rezaeian, who reacted quickest to a loose ball from a tight angle. The Egyptian goalkeeper remained in fine form, also dealing with a misjudged cross and later denying Shoja Khalilzadeh before the break. After half-time, Egypt controlled possession for long spells as they managed the game, aware that Belgium's result against New Zealand could impact their final group position. Iran pushed hard for a winner late in the game, but a stoppage-time goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review. Shobeir then made another crucial save to deny Saeid Ezatolahi, ensuring Egypt held on for a vital point and progression. (ANI)
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