Mohamed Salah is under great pressure with Egypt before the decisive confrontation with Guinea-Bissau
The Egyptian team is waiting for more of its star Mohamed Salah when it meets Guinea-Bissau tomorrow in Garoua in the second round of the fourth group competitions of the thirty-third edition of the African Nations Cup in football in Cameroon, where the Pharaohs who hold the record for the number of titles in the continental wedding (7 times) restore balance after the disappointing loss against Nigeria 0-1 in the first round.
The confrontation of Guinea-Bissau has become crucial for the Egyptians, especially for Mohamed Salah, who is under great pressure, after he disappointed hopes at a modest level against a Nigerian, and winning it is very important, to avoid Egypt entering into complicated calculations, and for its last match against Sudan to turn into an opportunity for direct qualification, And to take matters into her own hands.
The group leaders and runners-up qualify directly, along with the four best third-placed teams in the six groups.
The Egyptian team appeared at a disappointing level against Nigeria, which led to its first loss in the group stage in 18 years, specifically since 2004 in Tunisia when it fell to Algeria 1-2 in the second round. Since that defeat, Egypt has not lost 16 matches in a row (12 wins and 4 draws) before falling to Nigeria.
The Liverpool star was isolated in the attack line, after the Portuguese coach of the Pharaohs, Carlos Queiroz, put him in the center of the attack, instead of his usual place as a wing on the right side, where he is doing well and imposing himself as one of the best players in the world. But the 29-year-old Salah, who scored 54 goals for Liverpool since the beginning of last season, is struggling to reach the same levels with his country. He has not scored any goal for Egypt in the last six matches, after he fasted for the scoring in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where Egypt topped the group. Sixth and reached the play-off to be drawn on the 22nd of the current year.
Salah reduced Egypt's chances of lifting the continental cup, pointing out that the Pharaohs are not candidates to win the title, but expectations are still high for the team, which was very disappointed at home in 2019 when it was eliminated from the final price at the hands of South Africa.
Queiroz, who was hired last September to succeed local Hossam El-Badri, admitted that Egypt needs to raise its level.
After the loss to Nigeria, the former Real Madrid coach said: "Our performance in the first half was very poor, that's the truth. We were not on the pitch. We started playing in the second half...There was no reason for this failure and the loss against Nigeria."
"We lost this match and there are 6 points we must collect in the next two matches against Sudan and Guinea Bissau to qualify for the next round," he added.
We did our best
and Egypt has a great chance of overcoming the obstacle of Guinea-Bissau, which is competing in the finals for the third time in a row, but has not yet won a match in the continental wedding.
Egypt is counting on the brilliance of its star Salah, who is nominated for the award for the best player in the world granted by the International Federation of the game ("FIFA").
"I don't think we are the favorite team (to win) this tournament, but we are trying our best to win it," Salah said earlier this week.
"We have a good coach. We have a good team. We have a very good group and they have played for the national team for 10 or 11 years now so I know we have a very good team."
"Therefore, we are giving our best and we hope to win it."
In the same group, Nigeria is seeking to settle its qualification early when it meets Sudan in Garoua as well.
The Nigerian team presented one of the best performances in the tournament when it defeated the Pharaohs in the first round, and seems an extraordinary candidate to achieve the second successive victory at the expense of Sudan, which escaped defeat against Guinea Bissau in the first round and came out with a valuable point.
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