Egypt coach Wael Riad has revealed what affected his team's performance during their 1-1 draw with Bafana Bafana in the 2024 CAF African Nations Championship qualifiers on Sunday.
Egypt and Bafana played out a 1-1 draw in the first-leg qualifying match in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
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The visitors took the lead in the 68th minute through Mohamed Abdelaal, and South Africa equalised in the 79th minute thanks to a brilliant long-range strike by Jamie Webber, who had just completed a move to FC Tulsa in the United States.
The two sides will meet for the second leg in Cairo on 9 March.
The Egypt coach, however, said he was pleased with the result despite his team's performance being impacted by an "exhausting journey" from their country to South Africa.
According to FilGoal.com, Wael stated: "I am satisfied with the draw against South Africa. It is a good step towards overcoming the first round of the qualifiers.
"The second leg will be like the second half of the tie, and we will aim to win and advance to the next stage.
"I want to thank the players for their high spirits, especially considering they only had four training sessions since the squad gathered.
"Additionally, they were affected by fatigue due to the long and exhausting journey from Cairo to Johannesburg, as well as the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
"However, they showed great enthusiasm, determination, and strong will."
If Bafana progress past Egypt in the tie, they will play in the final round of qualifying, where they will meet either Comoros or Malawi.
The tournament will take place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from 2-30 August 2025 and will comprise 19 teams.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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