World Cup: Egyptians solidly behind national squad despite defeat in opening match

Fans of Egypt’s national football team remain hopeful of better days ahead despite their narrow loss 0-1 to Group A opponent Uruguay on Friday at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The Pharaohs, are making their return in the tournament after a 28-year absence. There were hopes for a good start, but those thoughts were dashed when Jose Gimenez rose up to head in a Carlos Sanchez free-kick in the 89th minute.

“I think the Egyptian team played well today. Nobody knew the outcome until the last minute. The match was more about performance than result, and as an Egyptian fan, I think I can take the result. Well done, Egypt”, a fan said.

“The Egyptian players did their best today. We still have two matches coming, and more work needs to be done if we wish for a better outcome. All the Egyptian fans will still back you guys up”, another fan said.

Even though Egypt could not come away with a result, there were some positives as they were able to keep Uruguay’s top players, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, off the score sheet, keeping the match full of suspense until the end.

Egypt is now in a must-win situation to qualify from its group as it will face the host country next, Russia, on June 20 in St. Petersburg.

Reuters