AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Mohamed Salah’s substitution was tactical after Angola draw – Hossam Hassan

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has insisted that substituting captain Mohamed Salah in Friday’s goalless draw with Angola was a tactical decision, as the Pharaohs began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with dropped points.

Salah was replaced by Hamza Abdelkarim in the 60th minute at Cairo International Stadium, with Egypt unable to find a breakthrough against Angola in their Group B opener.

Speaking after the match, Hassan said he had no regrets over the change and maintained confidence in his squad despite failing to secure victory.

“Of course, we were hoping to win the match and bring joy to our fans, but anything can happen in football, and I have complete faith in the players of the Egyptian national team,” Hassan told reporters.

“The decision to take off Mohamed Salah came down to a tactical point of view.”

The result leaves Egypt and Angola level on one point, while Malawi moved to the top of Group B after defeating South Sudan earlier on Friday.

The Pharaohs now turn their attention to Tuesday’s away fixture against South Sudan in Juba, where they will face the added challenge of playing on an artificial turf pitch.

Hassan said the team would prepare specifically for those conditions as they seek their first win of the qualifying campaign.

“Certainly, there will be tough conditions to face when we play South Sudan in a few days, but no one is cutting corners, and we will do everything we can to win our upcoming matches.”

Egypt are aiming to secure maximum points over the remainder of the qualifiers as they bid to book their place at the 2027 AFCON finals.