EGYPT head Coach Hassan Shehata is upbeat about his team’s World Cup chances after overcoming Rwanda on Saturday. The African champions squeezed out a crucial 1-0 victory to stay on course of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in South Africa. Shehata said after the match on Saturday that defeating Rwanda in their own backyard was a job well done. “It is never easy playing in Kigali but I’m happy that we got the result that we wanted.” “We now have to focus on our next game because there is still work to do,” the 60-year-old tactician added. Meanwhile, Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan, who scored the lone goal on the night dubbed the goal as a reward from God. “I’m happy because the goal was a special reward from God because I played while fasting just like some of my team mates.” “This was a significant game in our bid to qualify for the World Cup because a loss would have put us on the back foot,” the 34-year-old Al-Ahly midfielder said. Hassan notched home from close range on 68 minutes to give the Pharaohs a hard-fought victory. They claimed all three points despite missing a host of key players like Amr Zaki, Mohammed Abou-Treika and Mahmoud Fathallah. Zamalek striker Mido was also left out due to lack of match fitness while Borussia Dortmund’s Mohamed Zidan was overlooked for disciplinary reasons. By press time, Egypt were still joint group leaders alongside Algeria although the latter had a chance to regain a three –point cushion with a win over Zambia. Ends
