Egypt head coach Carlos Queiroz has praised his players for their commitment following Wednesday’s dramatic victory against Cote d’l voire.
The Pharaohs edged the second round tie 5-4 on penalties after 120 minutes of entertaining football.
“We played a great match and the fans should be proud of the players.
“We deserved to win during the ninety minutes, but the biggest victory this evening was football.
“Today we sacrificed a lot to be the best team on the field, especially from players who are skilled and who are good at dribbling.
“The players deserve more respect from local analysts and pundits for their performance. Everyone should support the players because they deserve respect and support.
People are not satisfied with good performance only, they want more, so we have to prepare well for Morocco, who we certainly respect. We are in an official tournament, not a trip to the garden. There is a difficult atmosphere that we face in that tournament.
“It was a difficult start, especially with the loss to Nigeria, but our performance is gradually developing and we want to prepare now for the match against Morocco.
“We want to be better and satisfy the ambition of the fans. The pressure is an inspiration to us, and it gives us a lot of strength to play and please people.
“The key to winning today is the commitment of the players to their duties and focus. We had opportunities that we tried to take advantage of until we reached the penalty shootout.
“God willing, we are now preparing for the Morocco match and we do not want to focus on any other upcoming match until we win the next one.
“The penalty kicks were fair because they gave the team the victory that they deserved. There were some mistakes, but we played as a team, and the players adhered to all the plan laid down, and therefore we deserved to win, and I want to congratulate Ivory Coast on their performance as well.
“I congratulate all the Egyptian players, they deserve to qualify for the next round,” he concluded.
