CAIRO: Manuel Jose blamed external forces for Ahly s failure to put in a convincing display against ASEC Mimosas in the Champions League on Saturday. The Egyptian champions were lucky to escape with a goalless draw, having been outplayed by their Ivorian opponents throughout the game. Ahly players peace of mind was disturbed after a tiring journey to Abidjan. It took them 24 hours to arrive in Ivory Coast s largest city. To rub salt into the wounds, Ahly found out that they will face ASEC on an artificial turf as Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny was being renovated. Coach Jose is adamant Ahly would have played better if they didn t face those difficulties. Our exhausting trip to Abidjan made the match difficult for us, the Portuguese boss was quoted as saying by the club s official website. We could have played much better than we did but it was even harder to play on an artificial turf. However, although I hoped my team would get a win today, a draw is not bad. We will be looking forward now to our next Champions League encounter against Dynamos Harare, he added.
