Ahli assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri said his side silenced doubters following their nervy 1-0 away victory over Ismaili. Mohamed Barakat's second-half strike gave Ahli the precious win in Saturday's Egyptian Premier League clash. "Our display today is the best response we can give to the recent criticism," Al-Badri was quoted as saying by Ahli's official website. "I just want critics to be reasonable while judging the players." Many pundits said Ahli were looking out of sorts following their disappointing Club World Cup campaign. The Red Devils finished sixth in the seven-team tournament but the unhappy experience hardly affected them on the local stage. After returning from Japan, Ahli claimed two successive league wins and reached the Egyptian Cup round of 16 after thrashing second-division side Koroum 4-0. One Goal Al-Badri stressed that Ahli targeted all three points at Ismaili despite the hostile atmosphere. "We had just one goal: winning the match. We always go for a victory at home or on the road." The match was marred by continuous crowd troubles from Ahli and Ismaili fans, who threw fireworks and broken seats onto the pitch. Ahli moved into third place in the league table with 26 points, three behind second-placed Ismaili, who played three extra games. The Cairo giants, who are looking to win a fifth consecutive league title, will leapfrog Ismaili and leaders Petrojet, who have 30 points, if they win their three rescheduled matches.
