Egypt head coach l Rui Vitoria has backtracked on his promise that his team was ready to combat Mohammed Kudus is he plays against them on Thursday night.

The West Ham United man featured for the entire game and scored two goals out of nothing in Ghana’s second Group B game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking after the 2-2 draw, Vitoria denies that he said his team had a specific plan to stop the in-form attacking midfielder.

“I didn’t say I had a plan to stop him I said fantastic players need to play, if he plays we have to stop him also.

“He is a fantastic player. Did a very good job. 90 minutes, you cannot control all the moments.”

Ghana is third in the Group and must win against Mozambique on Monday to stand a chance of qualifying for the round of 16.

Cape Verde now has two wins, giving them six points and through to the last six.

Egypt is second with two points from two games while the Black Stars are third with one point and only ahead of Mozambique because of the goal difference.