Both Ahly's coach Manuel Jose and Tunisia's Esperance coach Nabil Maaloul blamed bad luck for the Cairo giants elimination from the CAF Champions League, but a rash of new players might change the tides next year Despite seeing his team eliminated from the CAF Champions League after the 1-1 home draw with Tunisia's Esperance on Friday, Ahly's Portuguese coach Manuel Jose is proud of his players. “I am proud of my players who delivered a great performance. We were not lucky enough to win; we missed chances we had against the goal,” the 65-year-old coach was quoted as saying by the club official website after the game. The Red Devils were in a must-win situation to ensure their qualification for the semi-final and the coach honourably blames himself for not fulfilling that dream. “I am responsible for not reaching the semi-final, but I am sure Ahly will have the upper hand in the coming African tournaments, especially after our talented new signings arrive, who will play a prominent role in the future. “The 3-3 draw in the group stage opening match against Morocco's Wydad Casablanca is the reason we were eliminated,” the experienced coach added. The visitors took a 17th-minute lead with a controversial goal by Cameroonian defender Yaya Banana, which was proven by television replays that he was offside. “It was clear that Esperance's player was in an offside position. They are a good team. They scored an early goal and then did their best to defend. I can't blame my players who did their best to win,” explained Jose. Thousands of Ahly fans who came to support their team at the Cairo Stadium were upset to see the six-time African champions say goodbye to the tournament. “They enthusiastically encouraged the players throughout the whole game. We appreciate their role and we apologise to them, because they were a main reason we progressed in the tournament,” Jose concluded. On the other side, Esperance coach Nabil Maaloul confirmed that Ahly delivered a good performance: “Ahly and Jose played a good game, but they were unlucky,” Maaloul said after the game. Esperance booked a last-four berth for the second successive season after finishing on top of the group with 10 points, alongside Wydad Casablanca (7 points) who dealt a 3-1 defeat against Mouloudia Alger, also on Friday. “We are targeting the tournament title, so Ahly's elimination will ease our mission a lot, as they are not an easy opponent,” added Maaloul.
