Former Egypt international Ahmed Elmohamady believes the Pharaohs showed Senegal excessive respect in their AFCON 2025 semi-final defeat and highlighted the need for several players to improve, especially striker Mostafa Mohamed.
Senegal advanced to the final with a 1–0 win thanks to Sadio Mane’s strike.
Speaking to beIN Sports, Elmohamady said there was “no real pressure” on Senegal’s players throughout the game, noting that even for Mané’s goal, defender Yasser Ibrahim’s reaction was late and there was no meaningful attempt to close him down. He argued that when you give forwards of such quality space to shoot, they are bound to take advantage, especially with Egypt’s fatigue clearly visible.
Elmohamady still described reaching the semi-finals with this squad as a very good achievement, but called for changes before the World Cup qualifiers, including adding new faces and generally raising performance levels.
He insisted that Mostafa Mohamed in particular must develop his game in the coming period, and concluded that coach Hossam Hassan “respected Senegal more than necessary”, with physical condition also playing a big role in the loss.
