CAIRO - Al-Ahly assistant coach Mohamed Youssef is delighted with his team's 1-0 victory over Ismaili in the Egyptian Premier League, stressing that the Red Devils are going to get even better. "The game was really not easy against a respectable team; what made it more difficult was defender Wael Gomaa's getting a red card," Youssef said after the game, explaining that it became more complicated for the Red Devils after the injury to Ahmed Fathi. Al-Ahly stunned Ismaili 1-0 in the Egyptian Premier League in the Military Academy Stadium, thanks to a goal from new signing Abdullah Al-Said. This result means that the Red Devils are now in second place in the League with 20 points from eight games, while Ismaili remain in seventh on 14 points. The game, played behind closed doors after being postponed from the 7th week of the Egyptian League, turned angry, with the referee showing Gomaa the red card after two yellow cards. In fact, the ref dished out six yellow cards to the Red Devils and two to the Daraweesh. "The players were very determined," Youssef said, adding that they really deserved this crucial victory in extraordinary conditions. “After they'd scored, the team's technical coach Manuel José da Silva asked the players to press hard in midfield for more. But when Gomaa got his red card, they went on the defensive.” Ahly football manager Sayyed Abdel-Hafez was equally delighted at this victory, but expressed his sadness at the fans' absence. "The players performed well and got three points," he said, arguing that the referee was excessive in his use of yellow cards. "These cards piled the pressure on the players." Meanwhile, Harras el-Hodoud are now at the top of the Premier League table, after stunning El-Masry of Port Said 2-1 in Alexandria, thanks to goals from el-Hodoud's Ahmed Salem and Ahmed Hassan Mekki, with Masry striker Ehab el-Masry getting on the score sheet too. Tareq el-Ashri, el-Hodoud's coach, is understandably delighted with this result. "The match was very tough, especially when el-Masry took the lead. I want to thank the players for this great win," he said after the game, pointing out that el-Masry have a talented team and coaching staff. El-Hodoud are now on 25 points, while el-Masry remain in eighth place with 13 points."We always aim to score goals, even if we have to concede one or two," el-Ashri stressed, adding that the fitness of the players and the changes he made paved the way for the win. "This win is great for morale. Although there's still a long way to go, my players are capable of winning the League. We were missing injured players, but others proved themselves.” Elsewhere, Enppi and el-Geish drew 2-2. Strikers El-Sayyed Abdel Aal and Abou Koneia opened the scoring for el-Geish before midfielder Adel Moustafa and striker Ahmed Raouf came to Enppi's rescue. Enppi are now in 17th place with six points, while el-Geish are in 12th on nine points. The result led to the firing of Enppi coach Mokhtar Mokhtar. As for Zamalek, they stunned Talefounat Beni Sueif 2-0, thanks to goals from strikers Hussein Hamdi and Ahmed Hossam 'Mido'. Zamalek's technical coach is delighted with this result, promising that the White Knights are going to play even better in the coming matches. "The game was against a well-organised and respectable team, and it was the fitness of the players and the changes made that gave the White Knights the edge," Hassan Shehata said, pointing out that the White Knights always play for three points. As for Zamalek's general coach, Ismail Youssef, he said that the players did what the coaching staff had asked them to before the game. "That's why they won. But if they had been a little less reckless and rash, they would have scored more goals,” he said. The result puts Zamalek in fourth place in the League with 16 points from seven games, with a game in hand against Wadi Degla. "Shehata knows how to get the best out of the players," added the ex-Gouna coach, pointing out that the team still need time to impress the fans and the coaching staff. Youssef said that the changes made by the coaching staff aimed at controlling the midfield. "We used Omar Gaber to control the midfield, while one of the gains of the match was striker Hussein Hamdi returning to his scoring ways,” he explained. The Egyptian Premier League 10th week results: • Zamalek 2-0 el-Talefounat • Petrojet 1-1 Arab Contractors • El-Hodoud 2-1 el-Masry • Enppi 2-2 el-Geish • Gouna 0-0 Police Union • El-Dakhlia 0-0 Military Production • Al-Ittihad 3-3 Smouha
Postponed match from 7th week • Al-Ahly 1-0 Ismaili
