Egypt's assistant coach Hany Ramzy has warned the players against losing the ball easily in the upcoming African Cup of Nations after their performance against Guinea on Sunday, while assuring fans that Friday's opener against Zimbabwe will be a successful one. The Pharaohs claimed a narrow win over Tanzania on Thursday and beat Guinea 3-1 on Sunday, in the final warm-up matches ahead of the coming tournament. "Guinea's test was beneficial as it was strong on the physical level. At the same time, Guinea is technically better than Tanzania," Ramzy told ON Sport channel after the match. "We made some naive mistakes; we lost the ball easily, especially the defenders and midfielders. It would be no problem if that happened with the strikers. "Even if they are tired, players shouldn't lose the ball or play with extra confidence, as African teams don't depend on starting the attack from the back only; they wait for any mistake from either defenders or midfielders to attack severely. "We also should make the best use of the chances we get against the goal. These are all lessons we took from Guinea match. And of course Salah's appearance in the second half made a big difference in our attack," the former Ahly star added. Message to Egypt supporters Egypt is hosting this year's AFCON, which has been expanded to 24 teams and will take place from 21 June to 19 July. The record seven-time African champions will play in Group A alongside DR Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Egypt will kick off the tournament by playing Zimbabwe on Friday at Cairo's international stadium. "I want to send a message to the fans: don't worry, the kick-off match will be a successful one," Ramzy concluded. With Javier Aguirre at the helm, the Pharaohs have their hopes set on securing the precious title for the first time since 2010. Egypt reached the final of the 2017 edition, only to lose 2-1 to Cameroon. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
