Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egyptian national team, revealed the behind-the-scenes details of his choices for penalty takers in the match against Australia in the round of 32 of the World Cup, and the reason why Mohamed Salah did not take the first penalty.
Egypt had defeated Australia in the round of 32 on penalties and faced Argentina in the round of 16, but lost 3-2 and were eliminated from the World Cup.
Hassan said during statements on the "ON E" channel for the program "With You": "I chose Mahmoud Saber because of my great confidence in him, and I did not push Mohamed Salah to take the first kick to relieve the pressure on him, because everyone expected that he would be the one to shoot first."
He added: "I was worried about one player in the penalty shootout, which was Hossam Abdel-Maguid, because of the pressure on him from his last period with Zamalek and his missing a crucial penalty kick with his team, but thank God he was able to score it."
He added: “During the Australia match, I was provoked by journalists at the press conference about how to play against them because of their height, but I told them that I am ready for any opponent and I am not afraid of anyone.”
He added: "The Australian goalkeeper was trying to put psychological pressure on the players during the penalty shootout, and I told the players about that and advised them not to be afraid of the fans in the stands."
