Al Hilal head coach Florent Ibenge believes Al Ahly fans were a contributory factor in their CAF Champions League exit.
The Sudanese giants crashed out of the CAF Champions League following their 3-0 defeat to Al Ahly in the final round of the group stages on Saturday.
Mahmoud Kahraba gave Al Ahly the lead in the first half before Hussein El-Shahat came off the bench and netted a brace after the break to seal the victory.
The win meant that Al Ahly secured qualification for the competition’s quarter-finals after finishing second in Group B on goal difference with 10 points.
On the other hand, Al Hilal spurned a golden opportunity to advance to the next round and Florent Ibenge expressed his disappointment after the game.
“We had a really poor game,” Ibenge told reporters. “Our players decided to drop back and conceded the first goal and then the second.
“There was still a glimmer of hope even at that point but the third goal just killed the game. The hostile atmosphere was the reason why he played badly.
“We tried to prepare the players mentally for such circumstances but they still found it very difficult to play in front of a large crowd,” he added.
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