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.
MORE: Laser pointers blight Egypt shootout loss to Senegal
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. On Tuesday, Senegal fans used laser pointers to seemingly distract and annoy Egypt players throughout the match.
Dream is over
— Carlos Queiroz (@Carlos_Queiroz) March 29, 2022
We try our best but today was not enough.
From the bottom of my heart my gratitude to Egypt Federation for this honor of coaching the National Team.
To all my players and my staff, my recognition and humble thank you so much. You will be always in my heart. (...)
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.
MORE: Salah among top stars to miss 2022 World Cup
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.
The head coach also courted controversy with his incendiary touchline style, and was suspended for the AFCON final after being sent off in the semi-final victory over hosts Cameroon.
Queiroz, who had two stints at Manchester United as Sir Alex Fergusons’s assistant, has also held the reins of the national teams of Colombia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, as well as his homeland Portugal.
His previous stint in African football came with the South Africa national side between 2000 and 2002, although he resigned ahead of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea after falling out with the South Africa Football Association.
