Egypt coach Hassane cites Ahmed Fattouh injury as World Cup’s toughest moment

Coach Hassane, manager of Egypt’s national team, said the most difficult situation at the FIFA World Cup was the injury to defender Ahmed Fattouh during the match against Iran, noting that the team had no available substitutions and faced strong Iranian players.

He also discussed the preparation for the round‑of‑32 penalty shootout against Australia, naming Mahmoud Saber, Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and others as preferred takers and expressing interest in additional players. The coach praised the support of Palestinian fans in the stadium.

Medical chief Mohamed Abu Alaa described the period between the Iran and Australia matches as the hardest for the medical staff, citing numerous injuries. He highlighted that Salah was medically cleared and played the full 120 minutes, scoring his penalty, while noting injuries to Fattouh, Hossam Abdel‑Megid (eye wound and concussion) and others.