Hossam Hassan Masry coach (Photo: Ahram Online archive)
Masry coach Hossam Hassan has praised his team for beating the big names of Zamalek and reaching the Egypt Cup final for the first time in almost a decade.
Zamalek’s woes continued on Tuesday when they were ousted from the Cup after a late 2-0 loss to Masry in the semi-final in Alexandria, to finish the season empty-handed.
“It is a big honour to reach the Egypt Cup final. Our full concentration was on the Zamalek match, and now we will be waiting to find out our opponent in the final, as we hope to deliver an outstanding performance,” Hassan told DMC TV station after the match.
“We won against a major, long-established team that has great fans. Zamalek also have big names like Shikabala, but Egypt Cup matches are always like that,” the former Ahly and Zamalek star added.
It is the first time Port Said-based club Masry have reached the Cup final since 1998, and the win denies the Whites from reaching the same stage for the sixth time in a row.
“Zamalek wasn’t lucky in this match but we made many efforts and got what we wanted,” the 50-year-old coach concluded.
Zamalek’s rivals Ahly, who are eyeing their first cup title since 2007, meet Alexandria-based club Smouha in the other semi-final on Wednesday.
Masry ended the Egyptian league season in fourth place with 62 points, 22 behind champions Ahly. Zamalek came third with 66 points.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: