Ahly coach Martin Lasarte has hailed his players' determination after Saturday's late Premier League victory over Smouha, stressing that the Reds are fully concentrated to win the league title despite difficult matches remaining.

"We achieved our target against Smouha as we got the three points to remain on top," Lasarte said in the press conference after the match.

Angolan winger Geraldo came off the bench to score deep into stoppage time as leaders Ahly continued their habit of chalking up late wins to beat resilient Smouha 1-0 and maintain their fine run in the Egyptian domestic league.

"We delivered a great match on both the technical and physical levels and we had many chances to score," the coach explained.

"Our performance became better, especially in the second half, amid a tightened defence from Smouha. We missed many chances against the goal but we didn't give up and kept fighting. I was confident that we were going to hit the net and the goal was a gift for the players," he added.

After Saturday's victory, leaders Ahly have 70 points from 30 games, five ahead of second-placed Pyramids (31 matches) and seven clear of main challengers and Cairo rivals Zamalek, who still have two matches in hand.

"The remaining four matches will be very difficult as every opponent has different targets," Lasarte said.

"Our lineup could see some changes in the coming matches as we currently have good options in the attacking line.

"We will continue working on mending our mistakes. We are fully concentrated and our main target is to continue our campaign towards the title successfully," he concluded.

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