Ammouta praises Al Ahly’s derby win and highlights importance of El Shenawy

Al Ahly manager Hussein Ammouta said his side deserved their 2-0 victory over rivals Zamalek in the Premier League on Sunday, while stressing that both Mohamed El Shenawy and Mostafa Shobeir remain important to the club.

A fiercely contested Cairo derby was settled by goals from Mohamed Hany and Algerian forward Monsef Bekar, with Al Ahly securing a significant victory after a demanding period for their players.

“The Al Ahly and Zamalek derby is always difficult,” Ammouta said at his post-match news conference. “This was a very tough game, particularly because the players had only recently returned from international duty.

“Our victory was deserved, especially after we scored two goals.”

Mohamed Hany opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a well-struck effort. Al Ahly then doubled their advantage in the 80th minute when Bekar’s low shot found the far corner of Al Mahdi Soliman’s goal.

Ammouta also praised the contributions of Tawfiq Mohamed and Achraf Dari, who had worked during the international break to improve their fitness and readiness.

“Tawfiq Mohamed and Achraf Dari performed brilliantly,” he said. “We put a programme in place during the international break and played three friendly matches.

“There are players such as Achraf Dari and Tawfiq Mohamed whom we worked to prepare, particularly because we have had some serious injuries in defence.”

The Moroccan manager was also asked about his goalkeeping options and insisted that Al Ahly needed both El Shenawy and Shobeir.

“We need Mohamed El Shenawy and Mostafa Shobeir; both are extremely important to us,” Ammouta said. “Mostafa Shobeir is Egypt’s first-choice goalkeeper, but we cannot forget what El Shenawy has given Al Ahly and the Egypt national team over a long period.”

Ammouta explained that changes were required after half-time, with Monsef Bekar and Omar El Saai coming on. He also defended Emam Ashour, who he said contributed positively despite not reaching his best level.

“In the second half, we needed to make some changes, so we brought on Monsef Bekar and Omar El Saai,” he said. “Some people may feel that Emam Ashour did not perform at the required level, but he played a good match.

“Zizo also had an excellent game. He played on both the right and left wings and, after Ashour went off, he operated as a number 10.”

Speaking to Al Ahly’s television channel, Ammouta said overcoming Zamalek had demanded both physical and mental strength.

“It is not easy to beat Zamalek,” he said. “There was a huge mental and physical effort, and the players remained disciplined and showed their ability, especially the forwards, to create chances.

“Winning by two goals means a lot to us. Al Ahly are a big club, the Club of the Century, and they have wonderful supporters.”