The hosts ran out 3-1 winners in St. Petersburg and almost assured themselves of a place in the round of 16.

"We had just 10 or 12 bad minutes in the second half. Sometimes it happens. We made mistakes. And didn't play well enough in the defense. We were a little unlucky and didn't score when we had chances. We lost the match in this period, though the first half was excellent. Unfortunately, we have to play all the 90 minutes," Cuper said during his post-match press conference.

Egypt have yet to register a point in Group A, having lost their opening two matches. They will face Saudi Arabia in Volgograd on June 25 in their final Group A encounter.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the matches set to be played in 11 cities across Russia.