Ahly's new tactician Hossam El-Badry said that winning against Isamily 1-0 on Saturday in the first match of the Egyptian Premier League is a good start to the season – and a confirmation that his team is ready to play at any venue. "The Ismaily win is a very important step for the team. Beating such a big team early gives us a good boost to return back to our winning days," El-Badry explained. At Cairo's Petrosport Stadium, the game's only goal was netted by midfielder Abdallah El-Said in the 78th minute to give defending champions Ahly their first three points in the campaign. El-Badry explained that the game was played in very tough circumstances with the absence of many key players such as Hossam Ghaly and Ahmed Fathi due to suspension, and Marawan Mohsen, Ahmed Hegazy and Rami Rabea because of injuries. "Despite the absence of key players, the team produced a very fine performance. Some mistakes have been made but we corrected them in the second half. Missing chances is one of them and this is something that Martin Jol also suffered from," the 56-year-old manager added. Currently in his third stint, El-Badry succeeded Dutch coach Martin Jol who was sacked after losing the Egypt Cup and African Champions League -- though he managed to win back the league title. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
