Egyptian coach Hector Cúper has rubbished claims that the Pharaohs were lucky to have reached the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and finished runner-up.
There were intense criticism of the Argentine coach's style which left many unimpressed with the team's form enroute to the final.
Egypt edged past Morocco in the quarter-finals needing a last minute goal by Mahmoud Kahraba to seal their place even though the Atlas Lions were considered by many as a weak side.
The Pharaohs needed penalties to defeat Burkina in the semi-finals before taking on Cameroon in the final which they lost 2-1 and Cuper insists they reached that stage deservedly.
“To qualify after winning on penalties does not mean that we are a lucky team, there are many factors contributing to our progress including El-Hadary’s heroics.” Cúper said in televised comments.
“Wasting the first penalty against Burkina Faso was a big problem. It was an awful start which reminded me of my unlucky experiences.
“I remained confident as there were four more penalties and it was still possible that the opponent might miss.”
Cúper says he is confident in the future Egypt squad insisting: “We were strong in the AFCON and now we are the top ranked team in continent.
“We’ll stay modest as there is a project that we are working on which is going well and hopefully there will be a successful end to it all,’’ he concluded.
The heroics in Gabon has catapulted Egypt back to the top of the FIFA rankings for Africa for the first time in seven years.