What did Hossam Hassan tell Egypt's players before the penalty shootout against Australia?

Hossam Hassan, the head coach of the Egypt national team, has revealed details of what he said to his players before the penalty shootout against Australia, confirming that he focused on relieving their pressure and keeping their minds solely on taking their kicks, before the Pharaohs sealed their place in the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Hassan explained that he approached the players at the end of extra time, while they were gathered in preparation for the shootout, in an attempt to ease the tension.

The Egypt coach said: "I went to the players and spoke to them. I wanted to take some of the pressure off them."

He added: "I told them: don't surrender to the pressure, don't think about it, don't look around and ask yourselves what we have to do. Give everything you have inside you, and don't think about anything else. Think only about your own kick, and don't even think about the goalkeeper."

Hassan stressed that his long experience as both a player and a coach made him fully aware of the weight of pressure players face in such moments, saying: "As a coach now and a former player, I know the pressure is immense. The players are thinking about the crowd, the noise, everything."

Egypt's players converted all of their penalty kicks, including the effort by Mohamed Salah, who had previously missed crucial penalties — most notably in the match against Senegal that decided qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Hossam Hassan expressed his satisfaction with Egypt's performance, asserting that his side were the better team throughout the match against Australia.

He told reporters: "I am extremely proud of what the players delivered from the first minute to the last. I believe we controlled the flow of the match by 90%."

The Egypt coach also praised the opposition, adding: "Australia put up a strong performance, but they faced enormous pressure from us. We wasted many chances, and when Omar Marmoush missed an easy opportunity at the start of the second half, I felt things were not going the way we wanted. So we reviewed our game plan, made some changes, and that move worked for us."