CAIRO - Al-Ahly technical coach Mohamed Youssef expressed his delight after grabbing a 2-1 victory over Harass el-Hedoud at the 14th week of the Egyptian Premier League. “Victory means snatching three precious points, thereby maintaining the lead in Group A and booking a place in the final round of the league," Youssef said after the game. Al-Ahly have climbed to 30 points at top of the first group, seven points ahead of second-placed Enppi, while el-Hedoud are stuck on 16 points in fourth place. This result means that the Red Devils (Al-Ahly) have formally qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament. The top two teams in Group A and Group B will progress to the final round of the domestic league, where a mini-league with only home games will be played to decide the champions. Youssef praised the players' determination to win, especially as the winning goal from defender Saad Samir came in the final minutes of the game, as Al-Ahly showed their resilience and persistence. Al-Ahly's goals came from playmaker Walid Soliman in the 12th minute and Samir in the 88th minute, while striker Sherif Ashraf scored for el-Hedoud on 87 minutes. Youssef stressed that the team will now enjoy a brief rest before facing Enppi on Saturday week. “Three days' rest will allow the players to catch their breath. The lads have been playing a game every three days, which is a great strain and has caused numerous injuries," stressed Youssef, recently appointed as the Red Devils' technical coach until the end of the season, following the departure of Hossam el-Badry. After the Cairo giants beat Bizertin of Tunisia in the round of 16 in the African Champions League, el-Badry announced he would take charge of Ahly Tripoli in Libya as of June. Youssef explained that the team have suffered many injuries as result of the pressure of matches, with the injured including Ahmed Sedik, Rami Rabia, Sherif Abdel-Fadil, Sayyed Moa'wad and Mohamed Barakat. Barakat was not fit for the Hedoud match, which forced the coaching staff to change tactics and play youngster Ahmed Nabil on the right-wing, although he'd played in midfield in their previous domestic game against Telephonat Beni Sueif. The Red Devils' football director, Sayyed Abdel-Hafiz, praised the team for their spirit and for winning their second game in a row under coach Youssef. “This is the spirit of Al-Ahly Club. We are the only team that have this spirit. With all due respect to the other league clubs, we are the only team to impose our personality on the others," he said after the game. “Al-Ahly are able to overcome all the crises, despite the competition from all the other teams at the domestic and African levels, and despite having a new coach," Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted Abdel-Hafiz as saying after the Telephonat Beni Sueif Premier League clash last Thursday. “Al-Ahly are happy to play at any time and in any place. We don't stop just, because a player or coach leaves." Ahly Club said in a statement on their website that they deeply regret the “irresponsible behaviour of Captain Hossam el-Badry" in leaving the team before the end of the season. Elsewhere, Wadi Degla defeated Misr el-Maqassa 1-0, thanks to a goal from Gaber Salem in the 56th minute. The result led el-Maqassa technical coach Hossam Hassan to resign. He apologised for not completing the season with the team, blaming his resignation on the ‘unjust referees' from which the team have recently been suffering. Hassan, the former Zamalek coach, said the referee refused to award his team two penalty kicks against Degla. Meanwhile, Misr el-Maqassa have turned down his resignation. Wadi Degla technical coach Hani Ramzi expressed his delight at grabbing all three points, adding that this has come at the right time, as the team are struggling at the bottom of Group A. Ramzi is now focusing on their next game against el-Mahalla. Wadi Degla are now in ninth place on ten points in Group A; el-Maqassa are on 11 points in sixth place, approaching the danger zone.
