CAIRO: Zamalek striker Gamal Hamza expressed his dismay at being substituted early in the second half during his team s 1-0 loss to Ahly on Sunday. Hamza was replaced by Ayman Abdul-Aziz on 60 minutes, and Zamalek trainer Moemen Soliman said that the player was not fit enough to play the whole game. I could have played for 90 minutes, and I didn't ask to be substituted, Hamza told FilGoal.com. The 28-year-old added that taking him off for a defensive midfielder minimized Zamalek s attacking options until the end of the game. The game was an even contest when we were playing with three attackers. But bringing a defensive player that early in the game destabilized our performance. We didn't create any real chances after my replacement, and this gave Ahly the upper hand. Hamza concluded by saying that Abdel-Wahed Al-Sayed s injury should have made the technical staff more patient in their substitutions. Al-Sayed had to complete the game with a minor injury, and Soliman confirmed that it was the goal keeper who asked to resume the game despite his knock
