Egypt looked extremely exhausted soon after the 55th minute against Senegal in the first semi-finals of the AFCON. The North Africans looked to have run out of steam completely in the second half compared to the far more energetic and sharper Senegal, who took advantage and suffocated them.
Egypt lost 1-0 to Sadio Mane’s sole strike in the 78th minute, where their dream for an 8th title was killed.
After the game, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan expressed his dissatisfaction with how CAF had made arrangements for the Pharaohs’ travel.
“What happened to my national team isn’t fair. We have to play only two days after our match against the Ivory Coast, and we’re exhausted from travelling,” Hassan said. Egypt played the last quarter-final game against the Ivory Coast, where they won 3-2. On the other hand, Senegal played a day earlier in the first game, winning 1-0 over Mali. The arrangements, in Hossam Hassan’s opinion, did not help the Pharaohs.
He continued, “Meanwhile, Senegal has had three days of rest and is playing in the same city where they’ve been based throughout the tournament. Look at the difference in rest days. They haven’t even had to change hotels or beds, unlike my players, who have had to travel and adjust to a completely new environment.”
Senegal has based in one place throughout the competition while Egypt have change places, making it difficult to recover.
Egypt will face Nigeria in the 3rd/4th play-off on Saturday, while Senegal will meet Morocco on Sunday in the finals.
