Egypt’s failure to win for the fourth time in a row virtually ended their hopes of reaching the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time ever.

While the majority of fans are unhappy with the players, captain Hassan defended his teammates.

“It was obvious that the players were nervous and this had an direct impact on the performance,” Hassan, who played no part in the match, said.

“They felt under enormous pressure because victory was our only option, but I am sure that there was no carelessness.”

Egypt now need a miracle to qualify as second best runner-up, hoping that all groups’ results would go in their favor.