Egypt’s coach, Rui Vitoria, attributed his team’s unexpected 2-2 draw against Mozambique in their opening Group B game of the Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Sunday to a momentary lapse in concentration.
Mohamed Salah came to their rescue with a late penalty, sparing Egypt from their first-ever defeat to Mozambique.
The turn of events saw Mostafa Mohamed scoring in the second minute for Egypt, only for Mozambique to respond with two rapid goals in the second half.
Salah’s successful conversion of the spot-kick occurred seven minutes into stoppage time, salvaging a draw for the Egyptian team.
“We lost concentration for three minutes, but we are still in the race to qualify; nothing is lost,” Vitoria told beIN Sports.
Although Nantes striker Mohamed opened the scoring with a fine shot on the turn, Egypt never really clicked into gear. Apart from a Mahmoud Trézéguet effort that hit the outside of the post, Mozambique were barely troubled at the back in the first half.
Salah, predominantly positioned as a deep-lying forward rather than a right winger, encountered a subdued performance. Meanwhile, Mozambique exhibited liveliness in their offensive play, consistently overpowering Egypt’s weak midfield and exploiting vulnerabilities in their defensive flanks.
Mohamed, who made his Nations Cup scoring debut after featuring in the previous edition in Cameroon, attributed Egypt’s fatigue to the high humidity levels in the Ivorian capital.
“The weather in Africa is different; the humidity is high and the concentration drops,” he said. “The best thing is that we learn early, so we know our mistakes before the crucial rounds, like the quarter-finals or the round of 16.”
Egypt is set to face their primary rivals, Ghana, on Thursday in their upcoming match, followed by the conclusion of their group stage campaign against Cape Verde on January 22nd.
“Each match has a different situation; the teams may not be at their best on a given day, but we have to prepare well for the match against Ghana,” Portuguese boss Vitoria added.