2022 WCQ: Queiroz resigns as Egypt coach

Egypt head coach Carlos Queiroz has departed his post Pharaohs coach after the North Africans were defeated 3-1 on penalties by Senegal on Tuesday in their World Cup playoff.

Just hours after the decisive defeat, Queiroz posted a goodbye message to the players and staff of the Egypt federation.

The loss, which came after a 1-0 defeat on the day and a 1-1 draw on aggregate, came just over three weeks after Queiroz’s Egypt were defeated by Senegal on penalties in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The two defeats were eerily similar, both coming on penalties and both finished off by a spot-kick from Sadio Mane.

Both featured criticism and drama as well. In the AFCON final, Queiroz was criticized for leaving Mohamed Salah too late in the shootout order, as the Egypt star never got to take a penalty.

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On Tuesday, Senegal fans used laser pointers to seemingly distract and annoy Egypt players throughout the match.

Failure to reach the World Cup—which would have been Egypt’s fourth appearance at the global stage—brings to a premature close the Portuguese coach’s time at the helm of the national side, with the ex-Real Madrid manager paying tribute to his charges on social media after the match.

Queiroz, who was appointed national team boss in September, oversaw a mixed campaign at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, as Egypt reached the final, but were criticized for their conservative and negative tactical style.

It seemed that under Queiroz, Egypt often played an overly-defensive style that looked to keep games scoreless. Throughout the entire AFCON tournament, Egypt scored just four goals across its seven matches despite the presence of Ballon d’Or candidate Salah, but managed to reach the finals despite the lack of attacking presence.