Egypt national team manager Ibrahim Hassan has praised the Pharaohs’ tactical discipline after they took a 1-0 lead over Belgium at half-time in their opening Group G match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former Egypt international acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter, describing Belgium as a strong and well-organised side.
“We are facing a strong and well-organised team, and the match is very difficult,” Ibrahim Hassan said during a television interview.
He credited head coach Hossam Hassan and the players for their preparation, revealing that the team had thoroughly studied Belgium’s playing style before the match.
“Hossam Hassan studied Belgium very well, and the players memorised their playing style. All the players executed the technical instructions perfectly in the first half,” he added.
Ibrahim Hassan also explained the tactical approach that led to Egypt’s opening goal, scored by Emam Ashour in the 20th minute with a powerful strike.
“We are also well organised, and when we win possession, we deal with the ball exactly as Hossam Hassan planned. We play the counter-attacks correctly,” he stated.
Ashour’s stunning effort gave the Pharaohs a valuable advantage against one of the strongest teams in Group G, with Egypt looking to secure a major result in their opening match of the tournament.
The strong first-half performance reflected Egypt’s tactical organisation, defensive discipline and effectiveness on the counterattack as they attempted to start their World Cup campaign on a positive note.
