June 20 (Reuters Sports Service) - Egypt coach Hossam Hassan stressed the importance of the upcoming match against New Zealand in the team's journey in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing his satisfaction with the result achieved in the first match against Belgium.

Egypt began their campaign in the tournament with a 1-1 draw with Belgium and will play their second Group G match against New Zealand on Monday morning at PC Place Stadium in Vancouver.

Hassan told reporters on Saturday, "We achieved a positive result against Belgium, and the New Zealand match will be pivotal in our World Cup campaign, and we will approach the match with focus."

He added, regarding the team's playing style, "My approach since taking over the national team has been to achieve a balance between defense and attack."

Regarding the difficulty of the task and the chances of the two teams in the match, Hassan said in statements published by the Egyptian Federation through its social media accounts: “New Zealand is a strong team, and whoever reaches the World Cup is a strong team and we respect them, and we seek to win, and all respect to the New Zealand team, our ambitions are similar.”

He added, "We have studied the New Zealand team well... and the players' condition will decide the match."

The coach addressed the fans, saying, "The Egyptian fans played a major role in the Belgium match. The players are happy with the fans' presence, and that was a reason for the strong performance."

Egypt boasts a formidable attacking force, led by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. Salah (34 years old) scored nine goals in the World Cup qualifiers and provided a crucial assist to Emam Ashour in the match against Belgium.