Hossam Hassan, the head coach of the Egyptian national team, revealed the reason behind substituting Imam Ashour in Egypt's match against Zimbabwe in the first round of the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Hossam Hassan had decided to substitute Ashour in the 34th minute, bringing in Mostafa Mohamed in his place.

Hossam Hassan said in his statement: "Replacing Imam Ashour was purely a technical decision. He gave his best effort, but there were pressures, especially since he had recently recovered from a virus injury that could have kept him off the field for a long time."

He added: "I needed a player in the number 10 position who has the ability to make a difference. Imam is a player with great potential, and I am fully convinced of him, but he needs to regain his full fitness."

He continued: "The decision to substitute him was in our best interest and his, especially since he is returning from a long absence. I am not afraid or worried about making changes because I have complete confidence in all the players, whether they start or come on as substitutes; everyone is important."

He added: "Omar Marmoush delivered a good performance, especially in the second half, and Salah clearly put in a lot of effort."

He continued about the match: "We made things difficult for ourselves due to bad luck, lack of focus, and failure to capitalize on easy chances. Zimbabwe gained confidence after scoring the opening goal, but we managed to come back and win."

He concluded: "We achieved a hard-fought victory to let the players know that the tournament is not easy, and every team is eager to prove itself. The first match was very important to ensure a good start to our journey."