Hossam Hassan says Salah needs two goals to match record

Hossam Hassan said hossam hassan and Egypt depend on Mohamed Salah in big moments as the team prepare for the World Cup. Salah is now two goals away from drawing level with Hassan’s Egypt scoring record, with the coach noting that the captain also creates chances.

That chase sits alongside Egypt’s immediate task on Monday, when they open their fourth World Cup appearance against Belgium. Salah has played virtually every minute of qualifying, scoring nine goals and adding three assists as Egypt topped their group unbeaten.

Hassan And Salah

Hassan is speaking from both sides of the record chase. He is Egypt coach now, and he was once the national team’s leading scorer himself. Salah needs two more goals to equal that mark, despite having played 61 fewer matches than Hassan.

At 34, Salah arrives in a different place from 2018, when he ended Egypt’s 28-year World Cup exile with a stoppage-time penalty. He has since won every major honour available at Liverpool, and Egypt are asking him to carry that form into a tournament in which they still seek their first World Cup victory.

Egypt Before Belgium

Egypt have won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, but they failed to win any of their seven World Cup matches before this tournament. That record leaves little margin in a group stage where a single result can alter the tone of the campaign.

The team’s reliance on Salah has also shown up away from the pitch. Last week, Orange released humorous adverts starring Ahmed Fatouh, Rami Rabia and Hossam Abdelmaguid, but the footballing burden remains on the captain when Egypt meet Belgium.

For Egypt, the immediate benchmark is simple: Salah is close enough to Hossam Hassan’s record to change the scoring chart while still carrying the side’s biggest attacking responsibility. If he finds two more goals, the chase becomes a shared national marker instead of a number hanging over the squad.