CAIRO: Mohamed Abou-Trika opted not to participate in Saturday s World Cup qualifier against Rwanda to avoid the risk of an early substitution.
The inspirational playmaker was due to start the game but aggravated a knee injury he picked up in training earlier this week, few minutes before the kick-off.
Egypt assistant coach Hamada Sedki said Abou-Trika feared his participation might force manager Hassan Shehata to take him off early in the game and lose one of his three substitutions.
Skipper Ahmed Hassan, who played instead of his Ahly teammate, scored the winner on 68 minutes as Egypt defeated Rwanda 1-0.
