Omar Gaber, the captain of Zamalek, believes his team was affected by a lack of readiness during the second half of their match against Al Ittihad Alexandria.
Zamalek began their campaign to defend the Egyptian Premier League title with a goalless draw against Al Ittihad Alexandria in the first round of the competition.
Omar Gaber told On Sport: "The first half was good and we missed many opportunities, but in the second half, the lack of readiness became clearly evident."
He added, "It was essential for us to win in order to start the season well. We could have sealed the match in the first half by scoring one or two goals, but it wasn't meant to be."
He continued, "We have closed the chapter on today's match and will work on addressing the negatives and rectifying mistakes in upcoming games. We will also try to settle matches earlier."
He concluded his remarks by saying, "We thank the Zamalek fans for their support and promise them that we will give our best in the coming period."
Zamalek started their preparation period for the new season late under the leadership of Motamed Gamal.
The team also lacked the services of Brazilian player João Bezerra, who has not regularly participated in team training since the end of last season due to his desire to leave.
This marks the first time the two teams have drawn 0-0 since 2023.
Hamza El-Gamal has not lost in his last four matches against Zamalek, having won twice and drawn twice.
In the second round, Zamalek will face National Bank of Egypt, who lost at the same time to Abu Qir Fertilizers.
Meanwhile, Al Ittihad will host Ceramica Cleopatra at Alexandria Stadium.
