Difficulties Egypt faced against Zimbabwe were natural, says Bradley

Egypt coach Bob Bradley hails the experience of his players following a late 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe in the World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday

The difficulties Egypt faced in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe were only natural, coach Bob Bradley said after his side maintained their 100 percent record in the World Cup qualifiers.
The Pharaohs needed a late penalty from veteran playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika to secure their third consecutive victory in Group G and move five points clear of nearest challengers Guinea.
"The match was not easy, but the experience of the players helped us to win, and this is greatly pleases me," American coach Bob Bradley, whose side were criticized for some disappointing results in recent friendly games, said after the match.
"No team easily qualifies for the World Cup, that's why the difficulties we faced against Zimbabwe were natural."
Egypt failed to break down Zimbabwe in a dull first half but came out with all guns blazing in the second, launching waves after waves of attacks that resulted in a 64th-minute opener, thanks to a free-kick from midfielder Hosni Abd-Rabou.
However, they were punished for failing to put the result beyond doubt after Zimbabwe restored parity 11 minutes later when Knowledge Musona's rasping volley left goalkeeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed, who replaced veteran custodian Essam El-Hadary in Egypt's squad, with no chance.
Abou-Treika came to Egypt's rescue after a last-man foul on Mohamed Salah earned them a penalty.
"When you have so many chances and you do not take advantage of them, you may face problems, and that's what happened today," Bradley added.
"The most important thing is that we were able to get a win. We've gone a long way to reaching the World Cup."
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports)