Egypt coach Hossam Hassan dismissed rumors of conflict with Mohamed Salah and stressed squad unity before their Group G match against New Zealand on Sunday at BC Place in Vancouver [1, 2, 3]. He said, "Salah is an important player for our squad, and the 26 players who are here with me are very important," adding that he treats all players professionally and has no favorites [1, 3]. Hassan emphasized Salah's discipline amid swirling rumors, stating, "Rumours are being spread about stars, about players, about teams. But Salah is someone who is very disciplined" [3].
Mohamed Salah, 34, scored 9 goals during Egypt's World Cup qualification campaign and assisted Emam Ashour in Egypt's opening 1-1 draw with Belgium on June 20 [1, 2, 3]. In that match, Salah was substituted in the 76th minute for teenager Hamza Abdelkarim [1, 2, 3].
New Zealand began their World Cup campaign with a 2-2 draw against Iran on June 20 [1, 2, 3]. New Zealand captain and all-time top scorer Chris Wood led their attack against Egypt [4, 5].
For the June 21 Group G fixture, both teams named unchanged starting lineups. Egypt's lineup featured Mostafa Shobeir; Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hany, Ahmed Fatouh; Emam Ashour, Mostafa Ziko, Hamdy Fathy, Mohanad Lasheen, Marwan Attia; Mohamed Salah, and Omar Marmoush [4, 5]. New Zealand fielded Max Crocombe; Tim Payne, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Finn Surman; Joe Bell, Marko Stamenic, Sarpreet Singh, Elijah Just, Callum McCowatt; and Chris Wood [4, 5].
Hassan said, "We want to present something very positive. We want to show that we have talent, not as something new, but as something that the African national squads have always had as a tradition throughout generations of footballers in Africa" [2]. He added, "We drew in the first match and we want to win and secure these points. This is our ambition for tomorrow, this is the ambition of the Egyptian people, for Egyptian football and for African football as well" [3].
