Egypt Women’s National Team midfielder Dana Nadda discussed the team’s journey in the Arab Cup so far and their ambition in the competition.
Egypt is currently participating in the first Arab Women’s Cup, held in Cairo between 24 August and 6 September.
The Pharaohs have had a strong run so far, starting their campaign with a humiliating 10-0 win against Sudan in the opening game, before beating Lebanon 4-0.
They were then up against Tunisia in the third and final group stage game and dropped their first points after being held to a draw by the Carthage Eagles.
Egyptian National Team attacking midfielder Dana Nadda reflected on her team’s progress and performance after the 2-2 draw against Tunisia, confirming their place in the semi-final against Jordan. After the match she spoke to Kingfut’s Michel Jreissati:
‘’As a team, we’re all happy that we’re on top of the group. We had a good first two games, we came out strong against Lebanon, we played good against Sudan. We got six points out of the two matches.
‘’Today obviously wasn’t the best result but we’re on top of the group so we remain positive.’’
It was an animated and fairly challenging 90 minutes, however, the group of players proved resilient and determined to come out the better team, looking back at it Nadda said:
‘’I think this game was a lot of pressure because we’re playing them again in October so it was good to make our mark and show them who we really are because we haven’t had a national team in five years.
‘’It was also challenging because we wanted to finish first but also the refereeing wasn’t the best. We had at least two penalties but we came out with a point and that’s all that matters.’’
The IMG academy player in Florida is the youngest one in the squad at only 16 years of age. Nevertheless, the midfielder has a goal and six assists in the Arab Cup. She has been an integral part of the team, impressed during the last World Cup qualifications and continues to shine, using the Arab Cup as the perfect platform to show off her qualities.
Speaking about her teammates’ treatment, she explained:
‘’I think as the young one, they all try to motivate me and guide me towards a good direction. They’re all like my older sisters and I respect each and every one of them.
‘’It’s a good feeling to be in the starting lineup when you are the youngest on the team but the support from everyone is what keeps me going.’’
When asked about her mentor and players she looked up to, she told the website:
‘’Nadine Ghazi has been my idol since I was 10-years-old and now she’s playing with me on the first team.
‘’The team’s captain Engy (Attia), she’s honestly the best captain you can ever think of, she’s really supportive, understanding and treats me like one of her’s.’’
Ultimately on the teams’ ambition in the competition, she concluded:
‘’We have a lot of heart and passion and I think that’s what’s gonna take us all the way.’’
Egypt will now face Jordan in the semifinal, while Tunisia will face North African neighbors Algeria in the other semifinal encounter. Both games will take place on 3 September, with the final scheduled to be played three days later.