Croatia had an impressive comeback, securing a 4-2 victory over Egypt in the Capital Cup final on Tuesday, 26 March, dealing newly-appointed head coach, Hossam Hassan, his first defeat.
Egypt started the match strongly, taking the lead after just six minutes when Mohamed Hamdy capitalized on a rebound from Trezeguet’s free kick.
In the 22nd minute, Nikola Vlasic equalized after Ramy Rabia’s opening goal in the sixth minute. The 2022 World Cup Bronze medalists took control in the second half, with goals from Bruno Petkovic, Andrej Kramaric, and Lovro Majer in the 57th, 77th, and 87th minutes, respectively, sealing the cup for Croatia.
Defender Mohamed Abdel-Moneim scored a late consolation goal for Egypt in injury time, marking his third goal in 25 games for the national team.
Appointed as the Pharaohs’ coach in February, Hassan, received a reality check following his successful debut against New Zealand last Friday.
The coach expressed his satisfaction, despite the loss, with the Capital Cup tournament, held at the New Administrative Capital Stadium. Hassan stated that he observed both positives and negatives during the match with Croatia, which he aims to address in the future.
Egypt qualified to meet Croatia in the Egypt International Capital Cup final following their 1-0 victory over New Zealand, whereas Croatia triumphed over Tunisia on penalties.
The match took place at the recently constructed New Administrative Capital Stadium, boasting a capacity of over 93,940 seats, on Tuesday at 22:00 CLT.
The football associations in Egypt coordinated with Croatia, Tunisia, and New Zealand, and an agreement was reached to hold the friendly international tournament featuring the four teams in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
This decision was made as an alternative to the previously planned location in the United Arab Emirates.
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced earlier in March the inclusion of the Capital Cup, which took place in Cairo between 18 and 26 of March March year, as part of the “FIFA Series.”
FIFA explained in a statement on its official website that the “FIFA Series” consists of “friendly matches played by national teams from different continental federations, usually when the opportunity for them to face each other is not readily available.”
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