Mohamed Hany delivered another influential performance for the Egyptian national team by providing the decisive assist in Egypt’s 1-0 friendly victory over Russia at Cairo International Stadium.
The Al Ahly SC defender continued his strong form under Egypt coach Hossam Hassan as the Pharaohs intensified preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Egypt will compete in Group G at the tournament alongside Belgium, Iran and New Zealand during the competition, which will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.
Hany played a decisive role in Thursday’s friendly by delivering the cross that led to Egypt’s winning goal.
The right-back supplied an accurate ball into the penalty area for Mostafa Abdel Raouf Zico, known as “Zico”, who headed past the Russian goalkeeper to secure victory for the Pharaohs.
The assist marked Hany’s sixth contribution of its kind for the national team and further highlighted his growing importance within Egypt’s tactical setup.
Notably, four of those assists have come since Hossam Hassan took charge of the national side, underlining the defender’s increasing attacking influence under the current coaching staff.
Hany has become one of the most trusted players in Hassan’s starting line-up, with the Egypt coach consistently relying on him on the right flank during both competitive and friendly matches.
His latest contribution follows a series of important performances for the national team over the past year.
The defender also registered an assist during Egypt’s friendly against Saudi Arabia last March, continuing a run of productive displays in attack.
Earlier this year, he produced another key assist against Benin during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
He had previously contributed an assist in a friendly match against Croatia in March 2024, demonstrating consistency in creating chances for the national team over multiple international windows.
Thursday’s appearance against Russia also marked another personal milestone for the defender, taking his total number of international appearances for Egypt to 41 matches.
The performance reinforced his status as one of Egypt’s most experienced and dependable defensive players ahead of the World Cup.
Egypt’s victory over Russia is expected to provide an important confidence boost before the team departs for its next stage of preparation abroad.
The national team delegation is scheduled to travel to the United States on Saturday evening for a training camp in Ohio, where the squad will continue preparations for the global tournament.
The camp will include a high-profile friendly against Brazil on 6 June, a fixture likely to provide Egypt with one of its toughest tests before the World Cup begins.
As Egypt finalises its preparations, Mohamed Hany’s performances continue to strengthen his position as a key figure in Hossam Hassan’s plans.
His reliability in defence, combined with his increasing effectiveness in attack, has made him one of the standout performers in Egypt’s build-up to the tournament and a player the coaching staff appears determined to depend upon during the challenges ahead.
