The Egypt manager admits his side have made an unimpressive start to the tournament.
Nigeria defeated Egypt in their Africa Cup of Nations match on Tuesday. It was the first match of Group D, with the Super Eagles already securing the top spot.
Nigeria completely dominated the first half, while Egypt struggled to find their rhythm. A stunning goal from Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho was enough for the Super Eagles to start their campaign with a victory.
Egypt showed signs of improvement in the second half but could not make enough chances to turn the game around. Nigeria were even close to extending their lead, but they settled for a 1-0 win, thanks to Mohamed El-Shennawy’s heroics.
In a post-match interview, Pharaohs boss Carlos Quieroz spoke about his side’s performance.
“The performance in the first-half was very poor, and that’s the truth, we weren’t on the pitch,” Queiroz told beIN Sport TV (via KingFut).
“We only started playing in the second-half. There’s no clear reason behind this failure and defeat against Nigeria.
“We lost this match but there are still six points up for grabs against Sudan and Guinea-Bissau in order to qualify from the group.”
Elsewhere in the group, Sudan meet Guinea-Bissau later tonight. Egypt will take on Guinea-Bissau in their next group stage game on Saturday before facing Sudan four days later.