Egypt coach Vitoria not drawn on future after shock loss

Egypt coach Rui Vitoria would not be drawn on his future after his side’s disappointing last-16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, blaming bad luck for the record seven-winners going home early.

The Pharaohs were beaten by DR Congo 8-7 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in which neither side created many clear-cut chances and Egypt finished with 10 men following the second-off of Mohamed Hamdy in extra-time.

Egypt depart the Ivory Coast without having won a game. It was a fourth draw in a row for them at the Cup of Nations, and a sixth in succession dating back to the last tournament in Cameroon, as well as and a fifth extra-time in a row in knockout games.

Their inability to kill off weaker teams has been a real Achilles heel, not helped by an injury to talismanic forward Mo Salah in their second pool game.

“This is not the time for hasty decisions; we will think before any decision,” Portuguese coach Vitoria said when asked about his future. “This is not the end; we did not expect the defeat. Bad luck was the reason for Egypt’s loss against the DR of Congo.

“The players were very good, and this is football – it has both happy and sad times.

“We prepared this team for the Africa Cup of Nations, but there are times when you put in all your effort and the result is not as expected. We need to look at our future goals.”

After no continental title since 2010, Vitoria dismissed any notion that the Egyptian’s aura had slipped.

“We cannot be like that; history proves that Egypt is a very big team, but it has undergone many changes,” he said. “We need to set the foundations and be better in the future.”

Meanwhile, former national team defender Wael Gomaa has lashed out at Vitoria and put the blame for their failure squarely on his shoulders.

“Since the beginning of the tournament, I have said that we have a very good team,” Gomaa told reporters. “The current team’s average age and capabilities qualify us to win the title. All the positions have good players.

“We suffered from mishandling by Rui Vitoria, who is responsible for the players. He brought out the worst in them and did not help them to perform well.

“Unfortunately, it’s the worst football I have seen from the Egyptian national team in my life. How could you qualify with four draws? We couldn’t win any match. His changes were pointless, player after player, there was no creativity in dealing with the game.

“Our path to the final was the easiest. If we had won, we would have faced Guinea. But we hired a coach to teach him about Africa. We brought in a coach to teach him how to deal with African football.

“A major loss and Egypt’s name does not deserve that. Everyone involved in this farce must be held accountable.”