Hossam Hassan Discloses Half-Time Talk That Sparked Egypt’s First World Cup Win
- Egyptian head coach Hossam Hassan has disclosed what he told his players at halftime against New Zealand
- Egypt were down 1-0 at halftime, but scored three second-half goals for their first-ever FIFA World Cup win
- Captain Mohamed Salah inspired the Pharaohs to the 3-1 win over New Zealand for the historic moment
Egyptian head coach Hossam Hassan has opened up on what he told his players at halftime that inspired their 3-1 win over New Zealand in Vancouver.
Finn Surman’s goal helped New Zealand lead 1-0 at halftime after Mostafa Ziko’s goal was disallowed, but the Pharaohs came out strong in the second half.
Source: Getty Images
Ziko struck again in the second half to equalise for Egypt, before captain Mohamed Salah and forward Mahmoud Trezeguet scored for the historic victory.
As noted by CAF, that was Egypt’s first win at the FIFA World Cup, and it took 92 years, having first played at the tournament in the second edition in 1934.
Celebrations erupted on the streets of Vancouver and across Egypt after the seven-time African champions finally secured their first win on the global stage.
Hassan discloses half-time conversations
Hossam Hassan, who featured for the Pharaohs at the 1990 World Cup, was delighted to lead the team to their first-ever victory at the Mundial.
He confirmed that the team had a stern conversation at half-time that inspired the victory over New Zealand on an historic night for the Pharaohs.
“At half-time, I told them we were not going back onto the pitch and then returning to the dressing room after the match unless we were winners,” he told FIFA.
“We could not disappoint these people. We could not break the trust and joy of the Egyptian people after everything we have built over the last two years.”
He admitted that putting the joy of millions of Egyptians globally at the forefront of their plans helped the team to focus on getting the important win.
Source: Getty Images
“I kept telling the players throughout the last period that the Egyptian people deserve to be happy. They were in the stadium, they were watching in Egypt and everywhere else,” he added.
“Young and old, men and women, they all deserve joy and success. I love the Egyptian people very much, and I thank them for their support.”
The Pharaohs are not done and are in pole position to finish top of the group if they beat Iran or draw, and other group results go their way on the final day.
This would mean more history for the current group as they would be the first to finish top of their group and reach the knockout stage of the competition.
Salah reacts to Egypt’s win
Legit.ng previously reported that Mohamed Salah reacted after leading Egypt to their first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup against New Zealand.
The Egyptian national team captain was delighted with the history and urged his teammates to rally for more history by reaching the knockout stage.
Source: Legit.ng
