Egypt skipper Hassan sustains knee injury

Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan is keeping his fingers crossed that the knee injury he sustained against Sierra Leone will not turn out to be a serious one.

The Ahli midfielder grimaced in obvious pain after being pushed by an opponent in the second half of Egypt's surprise 1-1 draw at home to Sierra Leone in their 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers opener on Sunday.

He was replaced with 13 minutes remaining, making way for Ismaili midfielder Amr Al-Sulaya.

"I will undergo scans on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury," Hassan said after the game.

"I hope that the injury will not be serious. I want to play with Ahli and the Egyptian national team during this important period."

Hassan earned his 175th international cap against Sierra Leone to move to within touching distance of becoming the world's most capped player

He is two matches short of equaling the record of former Saudi Arabia keeper Mohammed Al-Deayea.