Portuguese coach Jesualdo Ferreira (Photo: Reuters)
Zamalek coach Jesualdo Ferreira has expressed confidence in his team after they beat Rwanda's Rayon Sport 3-0 away in the second leg of the round of 32 of the African Confederation Cup on Sunday.
"I am happy and satisfied with the players' performance. They have done their best despite missed chances. They were so committed to the tactical instructions," Ferreira was quoted as saying on the club's official website in a long interview from Rwanda.
The Cairo-based club easily reached the round of 16 with a 6-1 aggregate win, and will play FUS Rabat of Morocco who eliminated Togo Port.
"The Rwandan team was good and full of young players who will be more useful for their team in the future. Their loss doesn't mean they are weak but on the contrary, they missed many scoring opportunities and their coach should be proud of them," added the 68-year-old Portuguese manager who joined Zamalek in February after the Cairo Air Defence stadium disaster that left 20 fans dead after police used teargas to disperse them.
"Of course, the league stoppage wasn't good for my plan for the club but still it allowed me to get to know my squad better and play a few friendly games. After all, I see the team moving forward steadily," he explained, commenting on the 50-day league suspension that followed the disaster.
The experienced manager spoke about his impression of Egyptian players, saying, "The Egyptian player is enthusiastic and skillful but sometime can be over confident and lacks team spirit."
He also spoke about his targets with the Whites, revealing he is eyeing trophies, starting with the domestic league in which Zamalek resume as leaders.
"My target is to enable Zamalek to win championships. I don't look in the past. Ahly has dominated the Egyptian football scene for the last 15 years, but Zamalek have the upper hand in the league this year and the players are able to make their dream come true," he concluded.
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