Al-Ahly's head coach, Hossam El-Badry, praised his team's performance during their victory over Smouha and revealed the timeline for Imam Ashour's return to matches.
Al-Ahly secured a 1-0 win in Round 3 of the Egyptian Premier League, with the goal scored by Yasser Ibrahim.
During the press conference, Al-Ahly's head coach stated: "We played a difficult match, and the goal came late. The performance was good throughout the game; we dominated possession, created numerous chances, and conversely, Smouha failed to create any scoring opportunities against Mostafa Shobeir."
He added, "We were only delayed in scoring the goal, but collectively we performed well."
He continued, "We need to deliver a strong defensive performance and capitalize on our chances more effectively. We also require full fitness from all players, as anyone could be fielded."
He further explained, "Today, only those who were fit participated; therefore, Zizo started the match, while Afsha remained on the bench due to an adductor muscle issue."
He added, "We must maintain offensive efficiency. We completely controlled the match after the first half-hour, although we were mentally slow to engage initially."
He remarked, "We could have ended the first half having scored one or even two goals."
Clarifying Imam Ashour's return timeline, he said: "He missed training due to abdominal pain and requires 3-4 friendly matches to regain physical match fitness. It is possible we might see him play before the international break."
He concluded, "After every official match, we aim to play a friendly to prepare our players—not just Imam, but also Ashraf Dari and Reda Salem."
Al-Ahly is preparing tomorrow, Friday, to face Team FC, a club from the Professional League, in a friendly match. (See details)
video:1
Yasser Ibrahim made his first appearance this season against Smouha after missing the initial two matches, leading his team to victory and earning the Man of the Match award.
With this result, Al-Ahly raised their tally to 9 points, tying with Pyramids FC at the top of the league standings.
Smouha remains in 17th place with only one point from a draw and a loss.
Al-Ahly broke their jinx from the previous two seasons, where they failed to win their first three matches.
Al-Ahly achieved victory in Round One against Eastern Company ENPPI 3-2, then defeated ZED 2-0, before securing today's clean-sheet win against Smouha.
