Ahmed Hassan said on Friday Egypt players struggled to maintain their balance against Djibouti due to the humid weather. Although the Pharaohs thrashed Djibouti 4-0 in the World Cup qualifiers, they hardly impressed after being heavily affected by the very high temperature. "We were not facing Djibouti, we were facing the weather," the Egypt skipper told Modern TV after the match. "We found it very difficult to run and stand on the pitch. The artificial turf was pumping heat to our feet." Combative defender Wael Gomaa echoed Hassan's sentiment. "The temperature couldn't help us put in a convincing display, although our opponents weren't strong." "But I don't know why we always fail to impress against small teams," Gomaa added, referring to Egypt's 2008 African Cup of Nations qualifiers. The Pharaohs progressed to CAN 2008 after having to struggle against minnows Burundi, Botswana and Mauritius. Ironically, Egypt went on to claim a record-breaking sixth CAN title after overcoming the likes of Angola, Ivory Coast and Cameroon.
