Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry said his side fully deserved their 3-0 Cairo derby win over Zamalek on Monday because they were clinical, unlike their opponents.

The Red Devils crushed their cross-town rivals at Cairo stadium to move top of the Egyptian Premier League table with 39 points, two ahead of second-placed Ismaily.

Moemen Zakareya opened the scoring in the third minute and Abdallah El-Said made it 2-0 after converting a penalty three minutes before the break. Moroccan striker Walid Azaro completed the rout in the 53rd minute.

Ahly's counter attacks proved deadly and El-Badry lauded his side's ability to soak up pressure and hit Zamalek on the break.

"We knew that Zamalek will have an attacking approach and we benefited from that," El-Badry told the post match news conference.

"It is true that they had better possession, especially in the first half, but without real threats.

"We gave possession to Zamalek and we relied on the counters that were very effective. I am very happy with the win; played a good game".

The 57-year-old explained why he had taken off experienced playmaker Abdallah El-Said early in the second half, saying he was "very exhausted".

"El-Said is a very important player but he is very exhausted. We decided to replace him to give home some rest before the Super Cup," he added.

Ahly will face Masry in the Egyptian Super Cup in Abu Dhabi on Friday as they eye their 10th title.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/287800.aspx