Seven-time AFCON champions Egypt clinched a place in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 on Wednesday by defeating neighbors Sudan 1-0.
Carlos Queiroz was left satisfied with Egypt’s display:
“We deserved to win without any doubts, seeing the quality of our football and the chances. We showed a good style building up the play and playing on the flanks against an organized team,” the Portuguese coach told the post-match news conference.
Record seven-time African champions Egypt dominated the game in terms of possession and chances and they looked on course to grab a comfortable victory but had to settle for a narrow 1-0 win.
“We created a lot of chances and could have at least scored two or three goals but unfortunately we scored only once,” Queiroz added.
“But our performance improved and we showed a good command of the game. Our defence played a very good game too they got all the second balls and managed to prevent any threat though they tried to play counters attacks and direct balls but our defenders were always there.”
Egypt’s central defenders outshone the team’s forwards, with rookie defender Mohamed Abdel-Moneim scoring a second-half winner and his partner Ahmed Hegazi winning the man of the match award after asserting a commanding presence in the heart of the four-man backline.
