The Portuguese tactician is not swayed by the Pharaohs’ results against Libya, instead, he demands a qualification for the global showpiece
Coach Carlos Queiroz is not getting carried away by Egypt’s victories over Libya in October’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
After a stuttering start en route to Qatar, the Pharaohs bounced back in contention with a 1-0 victory over the Mediterranean Knights at the Borg El Arab Stadium – with Omar Marmoush’s second-half effort settling the tough fixture.
In the reverse tie, the seven-time African kings completed a double over Javier Clemente’s men with an impressive 3-0 triumph in Benghazi.
Egypt took the lead in the 41st minute as Ahmed Fetouh drilled an unstoppable shot past Nashnoush while Galatasaray star Mohamed doubled their advantage by heading home a cross from Marmoush.
Pyramids star Ramadan Sobhi, who came in for Marmoush four minutes after the hour mark, added the third goal in the 72nd minute by making use of Mohamed Salah’s through pass inside the area.
Although his team leads Group F with 10 points, the former Real Madrid manager wants the North Africans to finish the qualification campaign with success.
“The team played with competence and character. It was nice to enjoy a good start, but a good start alone is not enough,” Queiroz wrote on Twitter
“This is all about finishing with success. There is a price to pay, which is full commitment and sacrifices for the team, until the end.”
Queiroz had revealed how Egypt could earn a place in Qatar 2022: “The only way Egypt can guarantee success is to always be committed to being better, stronger, and to developing a winning team culture,” he wrote on social media.
Egypt travel to Luanda’s Estadio 11 de Novembro for a date with Angola in November while Libya travel to Stade de Franceville to try Gabon for size.
The North African country made their World Cup debut at Italy 1934 – where they crashed out in the Round of 16, the first round at the time.
Their last outing was at the 2018 edition staged in Russia. There, Hector Cuper’s team failed to get past the group stage following their inability to negotiate their way past hosts Russia, Saudia Arabia and Uruguay in Group A.
Be the first to comment