Zamalek captain Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed admitted that he and his teammates should have worked harder to remain on top of the Egyptian Premier League table this season. Despite leading for most of the season, Hossam Hassan's team relinquished top spot to Ahli, but failed to capitalize on the holders' draw with Smouha after being held 1-1 at Ittihad. “I want to say sorry to our fans on behalf of my teammates,” Abdul-Wahed, who was at fault in Geddo's opening goal for Ahli but saved a penalty against Ittihad, said “We made some mistakes. I was responsible for some errors especially in the game against Ahli. “The players are responsible for losing top spot and we must be grateful to the managing staff for their efforts all season.” Only experienced player Zamalek assistant coach Tarek Soliman blamed inexperience for the imminent title defeat, stressing that Abdul-Wahed is the only player with such an attribute. “Abdul-Wahed is the only player with experience in the team. The lack of experience had a negative impact on our season,” Hossam Hassan's assistant said. “Today we were not affected by Shikabala's expulsion. In fact the players were fired up to cover his absence.” Star player Shikabala was sent off after Ittihad's equalizer after protesting against the penalty given for the visitors to receive too bookings in quick succession.
