Egypt's coach Javier Aguirre blamed the poor quality of the pitch for causing injuries to several players during his side's 4-1 victory over eSwatini on Friday in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. “The pitch of el-Salam stadium is very poor. It does not help the players to perform normally,” the Mexican coach told a press conference after the game. Team star Mohamed Salah was stretched off the game with a muscle strain. Also Amro Tarek was forced off the field after 56 minutes because of a muscle injury which will keep him out of Egypt's next game against eSwatini on Tuesday. “Salah's injury is not clear. The player will undergo scans,” the 59-year-old tactician added. Regarding the Pharaohs' lackluster display in the second half, Aguirre said it is not easy to maintain a top performance for the entire 90 minutes but “What is important is to win and secure the 3 points to qualify” Aguirre revealed that he intends to rest some key players ahead of eSwatini next game on Tuesday including Salah and Mohamed Elneny. After Friday's 4-1 win, Egypt moved to the top of Group J with 6 points following a brilliant first half display that saw all the highlights for the Pharaohs. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
