Ahmed Abdel Aziz, the technical director of the Smouha team, commented on his team’s loss to Al-Ahly with an unanswered goal, in the match that brought the two teams together on Monday evening at Burj Al-Arab Stadium, in the nineteenth round of the Egyptian Premier League championship.
The technical director confirmed that Smouha entered the match with its sights set on achieving victory and getting the three points
Closed match and organized performance
Abdel Aziz explained in television statements after the match that the match was characterized by a defensive tactical nature, pointing out the lack of real opportunities for the goalscorers. He added that his team deliberately played cautiously and organized against a team the size of Al-Ahly, stressing that the goal was to produce a positive result, whether by winning or at least a draw.
He pointed out that Smouha presented an organized performance on the defensive level for most of the match, but he admitted that not closing well in front of the goal on one of the balls cost the team the only goal of the match, which decided the confrontation in favor of Al-Ahly.
A single goal decides the confrontation
The goal of the match came in the 30th minute by Marwan Othman, after the ball bounced off goalkeeper Ahmed Mayhoub and found Othman, who put it into the net. The match also witnessed an early injury to Al-Ahly player Yassin Merhi, forcing the technical staff to make an emergency substitution.
Despite Al-Ahly’s repeated attempts to control and threaten Smouha’s goal, the defensive organization prevented them from receiving other goals, so the match ended with Al-Ahly winning 1-0.
Ranking of the two teams after the match
With this victory, Al-Ahly raised its score to 36 points, taking it to the top of the standings, while Smouha’s score froze at 25 points, so that the Alexandria team continues its quest to improve its position in the upcoming rounds.
