Ahmed Samir, the head coach of ZED FC, believes his team delivered a good performance despite losing to Al Ahly.
ZED lost to Al Ahly by two unanswered goals in the second round of the league competition.
Ahmed Samir, the head coach of ZED FC, said at a press conference: "I congratulate Al Ahly. We witnessed a match befitting both teams, and matches against Al Ahly or Zamalek are always tough."
He added, "We divided the match into several phases and missed multiple opportunities, including a shot that hit the goal line. Al Ahly also missed some chances. We conceded two goals due to individual errors. We benefited from today's match and tested several players through substitutions."
Responding to questions about a penalty claim, he said, "I haven't seen the incident yet, but the players on the field confirmed it was a penalty. The fourth official informed us that the play was reviewed via VAR and that the player's hand (Ashraf Bencharki) was in its natural position."
He continued, "Every coach believes their team is the best in the world. As I said, we missed a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and some say we were owed a penalty. Things will improve once our squad is complete."
He concluded his remarks by saying, "We completed a full training camp in Turkey, but we lost several players due to injuries. During January, we will determine our needs to strengthen the team."
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Ashraf Bencharki and Taher Mohamed Taher scored Al Ahly's two goals.
Al Ahly raised their tally to 6 points, alongside Al Masry, Pyramids, and Tala'ea El Gaish.
Meanwhile, ZED remained with one point after their goalless draw with Ghazl El Mahalla in the first round.
Al Ahly achieved their sixth consecutive victory over ZED in the league, with only one draw in their previous seven encounters.
Al Ahly will face Smouha next Thursday in the third round.
Meanwhile, ZED will play against Tala'ea El Gaish next Tuesday at 5:00 PM.
