Egypt's coach Hector Cuper isn't satisfied with the team's performance in Tuesday's 1-1 draw against Guinea, and has vowed to avoid mistakes in the coming match against South Africa. The Pharaohs launched their preparations for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers by hosting the Guinean team at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium for a friendly match, and will face South Africa in another friendly in Soweto on 6 September. "I am not satisfied with the performance. I was waiting for a better show and result," Cuper said at the press conference after the match. "Players didn't follow the instructions perfectly and some lost their confidence in themselves unjustifiably. "They were not patient or accurate in finishing the strikes, unlike what happened in the training camp. "The positive thing is watching new faces like Ayman Ashraf, Hossam 'Paolo' Salama and Sam Morsi for the first time on the pitch. "Some of our key elements will return against South Africa," the former Valencia coach added. Lost penalty Egypt squandered an opportunity to take the lead during the match when a penalty by Ramadan Sobhi with 11 minutes remaining was saved by Guinea keeper Naby-Moussa Yattara. The Pharaohs had a visible debate over who should shoot the penalty, but finally Sobhi took the charge. "It was my fault as I didn't fix the responsible player after the substitution of Abdallah El-Said. I promise I won't repeat it again," Cuper concluded. In late June, World Cup-hungry Egypt were drawn in a tight group for the qualifiers' final round alongside Ghana, Congo and Uganda. Egypt kicks off its World Cup qualifying campaign against Congo on 3 October. Seven-time African champions Egypt have made only two World Cup appearances, both in Italy, in 1934 and 1990. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
