The Pharaohs of Egypt will begin their AFCON 2023 campaign against Mozambique on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the game in a pre-match conference, Portuguese manager Rui Vitoria revealed Egypt’s dream in the AFCON.
Cameroon in 2017 and Senegal in 2021.
“We have a mission to return the Cup to Egypt again. I believe in my players and our work and every game will be like a final for us,” says Egypt head coach Rui Vitoria.
The former Benfica manager praised Egypt’s opponents Mozambique in the press conference.
“Mozambique is a very good team and we should be humble. Humility is the advantage of any champion. We know that the first game is important for every team and we should be strong and beat Mozambique or any other opponent.
“The team that misses organization through the whole match will face difficulty to succeed. We should control the game and that mission won’t be easy all the time but we will try to do that starting tomorrow,”
Star striker Mostapha Mohammed echoed Rui Vitoria’s words in the press conference.
“Our storied history with seven AFCON titles speaks volumes. The pursuit of the 8 is our goal. Nantes striker Mostapha Mohammed shares the same mentality with Rui Vitoria as they both think only of Egypt’s eighth title.
The Pharaohs are in Group B alongside Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique.
Egypt will play against Mozambique at 5 pm in Abidjan at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on Sunday.
