Egypt’s Clever Substitution: Hassan Explains Why Ashour Was Replaced Early

Match context

Hossam Hassan, the Egypt head coach, explained the reason behind substituting Imam Ashour just 34 minutes into the AFCON opener against Zimbabwe, opening the Pharaohs' campaign in Morocco.

Egypt edged Zimbabwe 2-1 in the opening group match in Morocco on Monday.

Substitution rationale

Only 34 minutes had passed when the coach pulled Ashour and brought on striker Mustafa Mohamed, a change that left fans and pundits buzzing.

Hassan told television after the game that Ashour was not hurt; the substitution was 100% tactical. The midfielder was coming back from a long injury layoff, and the coach feared the mounting pressure would increase as the scoreline stayed tight, so he opted to protect him.

He added that Ashour is a hardworking player and Hassan needs him in the playmaking role, but under the current conditions continuing could expose him to heavy mental strain, and the change was beneficial for both player and team.

Hassan said the decision did not worry him, because he knows exactly what the match demanded and protecting players under pressure is part of a coach's duty; the substitution paid off positively.

Outcome and context

With the victory, Egypt lead Group B on three points, level with South Africa who also won 2-1 against Angola; the two teams meet again on Friday in a highly anticipated clash.

Punchline 1: If football were chess, Hassan just played blitz and kept the queen safe.

Punchline 2: And if pressure were a goalkeeper, Ashour would be the player who finally learned to smile facing it.