Zico says Egypt achieved their aim despite difficult South Sudan conditions

Egypt forward Mustafa Abdelraouf “Zico” said the national team achieved its objective by beating South Sudan 5-0 in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match, despite challenging conditions.

Egypt secured their first win of the qualifying campaign in the second-round fixture, having drawn 0-0 with Angola in their opening match.

“The match against South Sudan was very difficult because of the high temperature and the artificial surface,” Zico told On Sport.

He said Egypt had prepared thoroughly after the Angola game to ensure they collected all three points.

“We prepared well for this match after facing Angola because we wanted to win,” he added.

Zico said the result was particularly important because Egypt could not afford to drop points in consecutive matches.

“It is not acceptable for Egypt to lose a lot of points in two successive games, so we were determined to win and we achieved a big victory,” he said.

Omar Marmoush scored twice for Egypt, while Zico, Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim each found the net once.

The victory moved Egypt to four points in the group, following their goalless draw with Angola in the opening round.

Mohamed Salah, who plays for Trabzon in Turkey, and Nice defender Mohamed Abdelmonem were absent from the Egypt squad for the match because it was played on an artificial pitch.

Zico said the team would now turn their attention to their next fixture against South Africa, with Egypt aiming to finish the camp positively.

“We will now focus on the match against South Africa. We do not distinguish between a friendly and an official game; we want to win and end the camp on a positive note,” he said.