Ahli assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri believes the players' poor display was to blame for the Egyptian Cup shocking exit at the hands of second-division side Asyut Petroleum. The Cairo giants, who dominated Egypt's secondary competition in the past two years, slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Asyut to suffer an early elimination from round of 32. Ahli boss Manuel Jose had no alternative but to field a second-string line-up due to the absence of several regulars for international duty. The back-ups weren't up to the challenge, according to Al-Badri. "Their display throughout the match was very poor," he told FilGoal.com. "The absence of almost 70% from our regular first-team members also heavily contributed to our surprising defeat." However, Al-Badri stated that big surprises are essential features of cup competitions all over the world. The assistant coach declined to say whether any fines will be imposed on Ahli players following the dismal form.
