Egypt coach Hossam Hassan expressed his delight after his team’s hard-fought 1–0 victory over South Africa, a result that secured a place in the AFCON 2025 round of 16.
He highlighted the difficulty of the match, noting that South Africa play good football and are a strong opponent, just as he had warned before the game.
Hassan began his comments by thanking the Moroccan fans who turned out in numbers to support Egypt, alongside the always loyal Egyptian supporters in the stands. He stressed how much this backing from the terraces means to the players in such a demanding tournament.
The Egypt boss refused to be drawn into controversy over refereeing. He said: “I will not comment on refereeing decisions. All I can say is that I trust the referees of Africa and this continental competition, and I do not interfere in their decisions.”
Hassan praised his players’ character after the red card shown to Mohamed Hany, insisting the team could have scored more and that the true spirit of the Egyptian player appears in tough moments. He added that Egypt approach every game as a knockout and now turn full focus to beating Angola to secure top spot in the group.
