Egypt coach Hassan Shehata said that pre-tournament discouraging circumstances motivated him to exert much effort during the African Cup of Nations. The experienced tactician steered Egypt to their sixth Nations Cup in history as the Pharaohs stunned Africa's giants with some eye-catching displays. Shehata became only the second coach to win two back to back African titles after Ghana's Charles Kumi Gyamfi. "We were in challenging mood during the tournament. The doubts surrounding our title credentials motivated us to do our best," Shehata told Dream TV on Friday. Despite approaching the Nations Cup as title holders, there were doubts over whether Egypt can mount a serious challenge to the prestigious title. This was mainly down to the poor qualifiers' campaign, in which Egypt failed to grab a single win away from home. "I have to thank the players; they were brilliant throughout the Nations Cup." "They played all matches with full concentration and their commitment was outstanding. I'm proud of all of them," Shehata added.
