Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president Samir Zaher was full of praise for national team skipper Hossam Hassan for the role he played in Saturday's 3-1 win over Ivory Coast. The 39-year-old Hassan came in for striker Ahmed Hossam “Mido” who sustained an injury in the first-half of Egypt's Group A match against Ivory Coast and played a pivotal role in the win. “Hassan's made a huge impact in the game. His participation heightened the spirit of the players, not to mention that he assisted in two goals,” Zaher told Filgoal.com on Sunday. The Masri striker set-up Mohamed Abou-Treika for Egypt's second goal before heading the ball in the path of Emad Meteb who completed the rout. Meteb had put Egypt ahead in the 8th minute before Arouna Kone leveled for the visting contingent.
Emad Meteb “Meteb's brace was the highlight of the game, because the player was determined to make up for his missed chance against Morocco,” said Zaher. Goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadari and Abou-Treika also received an honorable mention from the EFA president. “Al-Hadari produced some brilliant saves while Abou-Treika's display throughout the game was just ecstatic,” he said Zaher also hailed Egypt coach Hassan Shehata and his coaching staff for their efforts that were the driving force behind advancing to the quarter-finals. “The coaching staff reached the perfect line-up and formation for the Ivory Coast match and acted fast to find a replacement for Amr Zaki who was injured on the night of the game,” he said.
