Egyptian giants, Al-Ahly recorded an important win over their compatriots and arch rivals Zamalek in their day two clash on Sunday in Cairo. Veteran Mohamed Aboutreika scored the only goal in the derby clash and his coach Houssam El Badry described the victory as a deserved one. El Badry told Cafonline.com that Ahly is not there yet, adding that they will play to win their remaining games.
What's your assessment of the game with Zamalek?
I'm very happy that we won. It was a difficult and closed game for both teams. We played well especially in the second half after our players heeded to the instructions in the first half. Our changes was vital to the victory.
Are you satisfied with your team's performance?
I'm satisfied to a larger extent, especially with second half performance.
The first half wasn't good but we remained unperturbed. We talked to the players during the break and reminded them with our instructions. The substitutions worked to our favor and the players improved on their first half performance and managed to score the only goal of the match.
In your opinion, to what extent did the supporters' absence affect a game of this level?
Playing behind closed doors affected the game negatively and that's why the performance of both teams was average. Also, both teams suffered from the lack of competitive football because friendly games can never be compared with official ones. Both teams were affected by these factors.
Ahly have raised their tally to six points from two games. Do you believe you are closer to semi finals?
Winning our second game and bagging six points does not guarantee us a place at the semis. Our next fixture at home against Ghanaian club, Berekum Chelsea will be the key for qualification, and if we manage to win, I can then say we are closer to the semi finals.
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