Hossam Hassan explains Mohamed Salah substitution as Egypt held by Angola

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan says Mohamed Salah was substituted for tactical reasons and was not injured during the goalless draw with Angola.

Salah was replaced by Hamza Abdelkarim in the 60th minute of the Group B qualifier at Cairo Stadium, as Egypt began their campaign with a point.

“We certainly wanted to win the match and make the fans happy, but anything can happen in football, and I have confidence in Egypt’s players,” Hassan said at his post-match news conference.

“Salah’s substitution was a technical decision. The player is not injured, and I am responsible for it.”

The result gave both Egypt and Angola their first point in the qualifying group after neither side managed to score.

Hassan warned that Egypt would face difficult circumstances in their next fixture against South Sudan, but said the team would continue working to secure victories in their upcoming matches.

“There will certainly be difficult circumstances in the match against South Sudan in a few days, but nobody is falling short. We will try to win the coming matches,” he added.

Egypt’s match against South Sudan is scheduled for 29 September, which is the following Tuesday, with kick-off at 16:00.

Hassan declines to discuss El Shenawy

Hassan also refused to comment on the dispute involving Mohamed El Shenawy, the Al Ahly goalkeeper.

Asked about the situation during the news conference before Egypt’s match against Angola, Hassan said: “El Shenawy had finished with his club earlier and played with us in the national team.”

Al Ahly subsequently responded to Hassan’s comments about El Shenawy, who plays for both the club and the Egypt national team.