Kickoff (Cape Town)
30 September 2008
Egypt coach Hassan Shehata believes his side will reach the 2010 World Cup should they maintain the fighting spirit that helped them claim the Nations Cup title earlier this year.
Optimism rebounded among Egyptian fans after the team clinched their second successive Nations Cup in February.
Egypt has done so in a superb fashion, outplaying some of Africa's top guns like Cameroon and Ivory Coast.
And Shehata stressed the importance of the players having the same fighting spirit that saw them triumph in Ghana.
"I'm doing my best to help the players regain that spirit," the 59-year-old coach says.
"The fighting spirit is one of Egypt's most important weapons. It gives us an advantage whenever we face a powerful team.
"Once Egypt get it, we will have no problem reaching the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990."
The Pharaohs have virtually advanced to the final phase of the qualifiers.
They just need a draw against minnows Djibouti at home on October 12 to ensure their progress as Group 12 leaders.
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