Mohamed Ismail, the sporting director of El Sharqia Enppi, spoke about his team's defeat against Al Ahly in the opening round of the Egyptian League.
Al Ahly defeated El Sharqia Enppi 3-2 in the first round of the Egyptian League on Sunday.
Mohamed Ismail said via Modern mti channel: "I see that we had a good start. We played a great match against Al Ahly after the transfers we made. We could have snatched all three points or at least secured a draw."
He added: "I was very optimistic after seeing Al Ahly's performance against Barcelona. In the first half, I felt that Al Ahly's start would not be strong, and that is what happened. We had a chance to end the match in the first half."
He continued: "Regardless of the match against Barcelona, there were some things that showed Al Ahly's level was not as it should be."
He went on: "In the second half, we wanted to hold onto the lead. When Al Ahly equalized, we thought about a draw, but in football, when you are looking for a draw, you can end up losing."
He pointed out: "I see that Al Ahly's penalty was highly questionable and needed review. I do not want to talk about the referees, and we are committed to the referee's decision."
He concluded: "I was very happy to see Ali Mahmoud playing for Al Ahly. If he had scored a goal, I would have been even happier, because he is one of our own."
