CAIRO: Egypt striker Ahmed “Mido Hossams highlighted the significance of the Pharaohs’ next World Cup qualifiers clash in Algeria, in the wake of Sunday s 1-1 draw with Zambia.
The African champions were frustrated at home by the Chipolopolo, losing two vital points in their Group C opener.
A stumble at the start does not mean it’s the end of the road for us, we still have five games to play and we should learn from our mistakes against Zambia, Mido told FilGoal.com.
I think the game in Algeria will largely decide on the favorites to go through from this group.
Egypt will face Algeria in June before hosting Rwanda after the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Mido indicated that he had no problems with Hassan Shehata’s decision to keep him on the bench, despite his regular appearance with Wigan in the Premiership lately.
The national team should act as a unit. There is no difference between a starter and a reserve player, Mido added.
The most important objective remains the World Cup.
Shehata told me before the game that I would not start and I calmly welcomed his decision. I am ready to play as a substitute at any time if the team needs me.
Mido has yet to score for Egypt since January 2006, when he netted the opening goal of the African Cup of Nations against Libya at Cairo Stadium.
