Egypt manager Hector Cuper believes the players will be under enormous pressure in their remaining games of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
The Pharaohs claimed a tough 1-0 victory over Uganda on Tuesday, less than a week after they fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to the Cranes in Kampala.
The victory put Egypt on top of Group E again with nine points, two ahead of second-placed Uganda. Ghana sit third with five points and Congo languish at the bottom of the group with only one point.
“We were under a lot of pressure but we managed to achieve what we wanted. Whoever can’t withstand the pressure shouldn’t join us,” Cuper said in the post-match press conference.
“We want to win all the remaining games. We’ll focus on Congo first and we aim to achieve victory. If the win didn’t secure qualification for us, we’ll be aiming to win against Ghana. We only think of winning,” he added.
Following Tuesday’s victory, the Pharaohs edged closer to reaching the World Cup for first time since 1990. If Egypt beat Congo and Ghana defeat or draw with Uganda in the penultimate round of the qualifiers, they will secure their spot in the World Cup. “Our fate is in our hands,” the Argentine coach added.
The Pharaohs next game will be against Congo on Sunday, October 8 at Borg El-Arab stadium, Alexandria at 19:00 CLT, while Uganda will be up against Ghana on Saturday, October 7 at Mandela National Stadium, Kampala.
