Hilal football director Fawzi Al-Mardi said on Tuesday that Ahli were lucky to escape without a heavier defeat after the Red Devils suffered a 3-0 away loss to the Sudanese team. Ahli were aiming to snatch a draw and secure a place in the CAF Champions League semis but their dismal form saw them embarrassingly defeated in Omdurman. "The scoreline would have been much bigger if our frontline converted the host of opportunities they had in the match. We could have handed Ahli a historic defeat," Al-Mardi was quoted as saying by Sudanese paper Al-Mashahir. Al-Mardi took a swipe against Ahli keeper Essam Al-Hadari, who was subjected to angry chants by Hilal fans. "Al-Hadari tried to assault Hilal skipper Haitham Mostafa towards the end of Hilal match against Ahli in Cairo but we punished him with three goals which he will never forget." Hilal officials, players and fans were furious with the Egypt international goalie, claiming that he said racist remarks to midfielder Mostafa and tried to attack several Sudanese players during Ahli's 2-0 victory in Cairo.
