Al-Ahly coach Pitso Musimani spoke after his team drew against Pyramids, referring to “a difficult match against a difficult opponent in difficult circumstances.”
Al-Ahly tied with Pyramids without goals in the penultimate round of the Egyptian League. (See the details).
Musimane said, “We played well and in a high spirit and were committed to planning the match.”
And he added in his statements during the press conference, “We are certainly disappointed at not registering, but we created many opportunities and I liked the mentality that we showed and the mental presence of the players.”
“We have not conceded any goal in the last 3 matches and this is definitely a positive thing,” he added.
“Kahraba left due to injury, but Badji was a planned change,” he revealed.
He continued, saying: “Afsha was very frustrated after the match because of his missed penalty, and I had hoped that the post would not block his shot to become in a better psychological state, but he played very well.”
“I spoke with Afsha and we all saw Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo and all the names that come to your mind, wasting penalty kicks. This is normal in football.”
Musimani described the increase in injuries in Al-Ahly “It’s like driving a car that checks gasoline, oil and spare parts while it’s on track.”
And he continued, “since my arrival, not a single match has passed without injury to a player on the team.”
He added, “We are continuing our work and do not complain.”
Musimani reduced the discussion about “the bad level of Ajay”, directing his question to a journalist, saying: “Do you see that Ajay played badly? No.”
He continued, “Ajay played and fought for the team, and it is always better to criticize wasted opportunities than lack of opportunities in the first place.”
“The offensive force was on the side of Ajay and Ahmed Fathy, and when Ali Maaloul returns, things will be better as well,” he said.
Musimani answered a question about Wydad’s loss to the Moroccan League title, He said: “Wydad losing the league? It does not give us any advantage.”
He concluded, “We should not think that we have an advantage over Wydad because of their loss of the title, this thinking will harm us.”
Al-Ahly has played with 10 players since the 40th minute after Amr Al-Soulia was sent off.
Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim “Kahraba” was also released, injured after only 10 minutes due to the injury.
Mohamed Magdy “Afsha” missed a penalty kick moments before the end of the first half, while the post kicked a missile from the Al-Ahly playmaker in the 75th minute.
Qaem Ali Lotfi also blocked a shot by Ibrahim Hassan in the 55th minute.
The tie made the fate of second place in the hands of Zamalek now, and not in the hands of Pyramids.
Pyramids have reached the point of 64 from 33 games, while Zamalek have 65 points and a match against Haras El Hodoud.
Zamalek’s victory over Haras El Hodoud and then against Club Egypt means that the White Knight won the second place qualifying for the African Champions League, even with the victory of Pyramids against the Arab Contractors, and 3 points were deducted from Zamalek’s balance.
While the result of the tie did not change the reality of Al-Ahly winning the league title.
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