Injury worries for Egypt ahead of Arab Cup semi

by Graeme Jackson

Monday Dec 13, 2021. 14:00

Egypt are sweating over further injury problems which have struck their Arab Cup campaign following an extra time win over Jordan in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Pharaohs overcame Jordan 3-1 after 120 minutes thanks to goals from Marwan Hamdy, Ahmed Refaat and Marwan Dawoud.

However, they were dealt two key blows on the injury front when key midfielder Hamdi Fathi was subbed out in the second half after a hamstring strain.

Goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawi also appeared to suffer a thigh problem, though he played until the end of the match.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has stated that both players will undergo scans to determine whether they will be available for Wednesday’s semifinal clash against North African rivals Tunisia.

Egypt had already missed defenders Ahmed Hegazi and Ayman Ashraf against Jordan due to injuries.

“We have plenty of injuries and our options are now limited, but we will find solutions for the coming game,” coach Carlos Queiroz is quoted by Ahram Online.

Queioz also hailed his players’ fightback against Jordan despite admitting that they had committed many errors.

“The players will not learn if they don’t make mistakes… Jordan’s team caused us problems but we gradually plugged the gaps and showed our character,” he added.

“Jordan started very well and deserved to go ahead, but our comeback was great.”

Egypt’s clash against Tunisia will be played at the Stadium 974 in Doha, with the winner going on to face either Qatar or Algeria in the final on Saturday 18 December.