Vitoria lauds 'important' win over Belgium

Egypt coach Rui Vitoria

Saturday Nov 19, 2022. 16:00

Egypt head coach Rui Vitoria was beaming with pride after seeing his side beat World Cup-bound Belgium 2-1 in Kuwait City on Friday.

Red Devils counterpart Roberto Martinez fielded a strong team against the Pharaohs for what was their final warm-up match ahead of the tournament in Qatar, which kicks off on Sunday.

However, the world’s second-ranked nation was stunned by the North African giants, who scored a goal in each half through Mostafa Mohamed (33′) and Trezeguet (46′) to keep Vitoria’s 100 per cent record intact.

The Portuguese tactician dedicated the victory to the Egyptian fans and said the game allowed him to more accurately gauge his players after triumphing over Niger and Liberia in September.

“We secured an important win in a difficult game against a strong opponent; the world’s second-ranked team,” Vitoria said in the post-match press conference.

“I am proud of my players for deploying my tactics perfectly whether through trainings or against a strong rival today.

“I am happy to please all the Egyptian fans in the stands and also those who were supporting us in Egypt. That was my main target.

“Both the Niger and Liberia games came as a preparation for us for (the) Belgium match, facing such strong teams is needed to get a quick and close assessment for the players.”