Egypt’s players were encouraged to turn off all distractions and focus on their shots, coach Hossam Hassan said after converting all of their penalties to beat Australia in a penalty shootout to advance to the World Cup on Friday.
Egypt won 4-2 in the knockout stage after a 1-1 draw to advance to the round of 16, winning their first knockout match at the World Cup.
“I went to the players and talked to them. I wanted to take the pressure off,” Hassan said of his passionate presentation before the penalty shootout as the players mobbed him near the end of extra time.
“I told them, ‘Don’t give in to the pressure. Don’t think about the pressure. Don’t look around and wonder what should we do? Just let that curtain come out. Let everything come out, don’t think about anything else. Just think about your penalty kick. Don’t even think about the goalie, just your kick.’
Hassan, who is Egypt’s top scorer and previously the world’s most capped international player, has experience of such pressure situations.
“As a former coach and player, you know it’s a lot of pressure. They think about everything. They think about the fans, the noise, about everything,” he added.
