Zamlek's coach Ahmed Hossam Mido (Photo: Bassam Al-Zoghby)
Manager Ahmed Hossam 'Mido' says he had expected the pattern of Zamalek's 1-0 win against Niger's Douanes in the capital of Niamey, indicating that Hazem Emam's introduction was intended to settle the scoreless deadlock after half-time.
Emam was substituted into the match in the second half and scored the winning goal for the Whites, advancing them to the Champions League round of 32 with a 3-0 aggregate victory.
"We entered the game with a specific plan. We expected the first half to follow that pattern and that [Douanes] would be looking to score in the second period," Mido told Al-Nahar TV channel right after the game.
"We intended to get out of the first half 0-0. It was expected they would be pouring forward in search of a goal after the break, so we converted to 3-5-2 and threw in Hazem Emam in an attempt to exploit the spaces behind their backline.
"Emam played here in a totally different position; it was the first time for him to operate as a deep-lying striker.
"Our plan was to rely on the towering Ahmed Gaafar to flick long balls into the path of Emam, and run behind the opponents' defence towards goal.
"I told my players the day before, 'Emam will come on in the second half to kill the game.'
"I'm happy with their performance; the players all lived up to the occasion, given the difficult conditions of the game -- the poor pitch and the breathing conditions."
Zamalek set up a meeting with reigning Angolan champions Kabuscorp, who thumped Seychelles Cote d'Or 7-2 ,on 28 February at home.
The 11-time-Egyptian champions face Ittihad El-Shorta in the league next week.
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