Ahly coach Juan Carlos Garrido has expressed his pleasure at beating Damanhour in the Egyptian Premier League on Thursday, citing Damanhour's strong defence and bad weather as responsible for a dip in form from his players during the game.

Defending champions Ahly recovered from a goal down to beat relegation-threatened Damanhour 2-1 on Thursday.

Former Ahly forward Mostafa Afroto stunned his previous club with a quick counter in the 57th minute to put the hosts in the lead.

The Red Devils had to fight to the very end of the game to score two late goals from Peter Ebimobowei and Abdallah El-Said on the 86th and 90th minute, claiming the full points to stay on course for a ninth straight title.

"The game's points were our target that we achieved," Garrido told the post-match press conference.

"Damanhour defended well and suspended more score chances during the game," he added.

"The early goal affected the players' performance but we managed to win at the end."

The coach also cited the bad weather and poor condition of the stadium ground as affecting the players.

"Winning was important to encourage players to continue defending the title until the end," he said.

Ahly are third in the Egyptian Premier League table with 46 points, eight points behind arch-rivals and leaders Zamalek and four behind runners-up ENPPI.

"Zamalek is not our only opponent. We still have time to play until the end of the season and compete for the title," Garrido concluded.

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