CAIRO: Ismaili should not rest on their laurels after defeating Reunion Island s US Tamponnaise 3-1 at home in the first leg of the Champions League round of 32, assistant coach Mahmoud Gaber said. The coastal side avoided another Egyptian upset on Saturday after Cairo giants Ahly suffered a stunning 1-0 defeat at Zimbabwe s Gunners. Left wing-back Ahmed Samir Farag put Ismaili ahead after 17 minutes with a free kick but Moroccan forward Mohamed El Magadarhi brought the visitors level in the 33rd minute. Striker Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha, who was guilty of missing several goalscoring opportunities, restored Ismaili s advantage in the 71st minute. Farag notched his second goal of the night with 10 minutes remaining to give Ismaili a comfortable first-leg advantage. But the Dervishes are yet to ensure their progress to the next round, Gaber believes. We should work very hard in the second leg to avoid any surprises, Emad Soliman s assistant said. Ismaili, who won the Champions League once in 1969, faced Tamponnaise without several key players. The likes of Abdullah Saied and Omar Gamal, the team s reliable attacking midfielders, were out through injury as Ismaili struggled for creativity. Tamponnaise s tight defense made life difficult for us in the first half, Gaber added. We managed to break them down in the second period though, and I m very satisfied we have done that despite the absence of several players.
