CAIRO - Al-Ahly stunned Ittihad of Alexandria 2-0 in the Egyptian Premier League on Friday, thanks to goals from newly signed player Abdullah Al-Said and Emad Mete'b. The victory means the Red Devils top the league with eight points from four games. Soccer experts have praised Al-Ahly's players and their technical coach Manuel José da Silva for their performance against Ittihad. "The change made by da Silva, who replaced Mohamed Shawqi with Waleed Soliman late in the first half, was good for the team," Taha Ismail, a soccer expert, said after the game, explaining that the Portuguese coach started the game with a good line-up then made the right changes, unlike in the previous game against Gouna. "The team controlled the game from start to finish," Ismail added. "The players made the most of two of the many chances they had.” Ahly defender Mohamed Naguib will be out for four to six weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in Friday's 2-0 win. The international defender will miss at least his team's forthcoming three games against Dakhlia, Enppi and Ismaili. Zakaria Nassef, another soccer expert, stressed that the coach was wise to bring on Soliman, as one player can change the result anytime. "The players were very determined," said Nassef, adding that the Red Devils really deserved this crucial victory. José returned again in this game to the 3-5-2 formation, with youngster Rami Rabiea back in defence. Magdi Tolba, a former Ahly star and another soccer expert, agreed that the team really deserved this win. "The team's two wingers, Ahmed Shedid and Ahmed Fathi, both did very well, creating a lot of chances for strikers,” he commented. Ahly manager Sayyed Abdel-Hafez expressed his delight at this victory, but warned the players to concentrate hard in their next match against Dakhlia on Wednesday. "The players performed well, but now they must think about Dakhlia," said Abdel-Hafez after the game. Zamalek's technical coach, meanwhile, was delighted by his team victory 3-1 over Military Production in the fourth week of the Egyptian Premier League, promising that the White Knights will get even better. "We always aim to score goals, even if we should concede one or two as well," Hassan Shehata said after the game, adding that it was the fitness of the players and the changes made that gave the White Knights the edge. As for Zamalek's general coach, Ismail Youssef said that the players did what the coaching staff asked them to before the game. "That's why they won," said Youssef. "But if they had been a little less reckless and rash, they would have scored more goals. Besides the Ittihad goalkeeper was very skilful." Youssef, who warned the players not to go over the top in their victory celebrations, said that the fans can look forward to even greater things. Zamalek beat a ten-man Military Production, thanks to goals from Amr Zaki, Ahmed Hassan and Ahmed Gaafar, while Mohamed Felix netted for Production. The result was Zamalek's second win in three games and they're now in second place in the League, with a game in hand. The team will resume training Sunday in readiness for their clash in the fifth week of the Premier League against Smouha in Alexandria, on Thursday. The ex-Gouna coach said Shehata made the players try out different formations in pre-season training. "He knows how to deal with the players, as he gets the best out of them and puts them at their ease; they calmed down in the second-half and we won," the talented coach pointed out. "The team still need more time to impress the Zamalek fans and the coaching staff," he said after the game, stressing that every game for the team is a must-win one, as the White Knights are a big team and the fans don't accept it if they draw or lose. Youssef said that the changes made by the coaching staff aimed at controlling the midfield. "We used Omar Gaber and Hazem Emam to control the midfield, after the Military Production captain, Wagih Abdel-Azim, was sent off,” he explained. Kamal Etman, the Military Production coach, was very disappointed to lose, explaining that Abdel-Azim's red card put the team off their stride. "We lost control in midfield zone when Wagih got his marching orders, and Zamalek exploited this to the full,” he said after the game. Elsewhere, Ismaili defeated Dakhlia 2-1, while Beni Sueif Telephones also beat Geish by the same scoreline.
