Zamalek head coach, Jesualdo Ferreira, praised his players after a difficult win over Misr El-Makkasa in the Egyptian Premier League.
Zamalek secured their second consecutive win under Jesualdo Ferreira when they beat Misr El-Makkasa thanks to an Emam Ashour strike.
However, it was no easy task for the White Knight who had to play with 10 men from the 51st minute, after Achraf Bencharki was sent off.
The team’s top scorer Ahmed Sayed Zizo also missed a penalty in the first-half. Despite that, Ferreira defended the Egypt international, saying he will keep shooting their penalties.
“We played two matches, the first was 11 against 11 and the second was after the expulsion of Achraf Bencharki,” Ferreira said in the post-match press conference.
“We were mentally stronger against a team that has a difficult style of play and depends on long balls. We suffered like the previous game, but the victory is more important, especially in light of us playing with 10 men.
“Zizo is a great penalty taker, even if he missed, he remains excellent and he will shoot our upcoming penalties. I don’t know why we play the games in a row and then stop for a long time, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
“We faced an opponent who had a long rest, we will try to recover well. We’re in a good mental state and it’s mainly thanks to us fighting for one goal. Everyone has a favourite player. I don’t have any favourites, they’re all the same to me.
“We will miss Bencharki in the next match but we will find his replacement. We are trying to form a strong team and we have players always ready. There’s still a long way to go before the end of the league, I can’t talk about the competition now. Al Ahly’s loss gives us a push, but we are not the leaders yet,” he concluded.
The victory could prove to be pivotal for Zamalek in the title race as they are now level on points with Al Ahly with 31 points in the Egyptian Premier League standings,” he concluded.
