Raja coach Jamal Sellami believes that fatigue is the main reason for his side's 3-1 loss to Zamalek in the second leg of the African Champions League semis on Wednesday, saying Zamalek were worthy winners.
Zamalek sealed their place in the final after coming from behind in Cairo to earn a 4-1 aggregate win.
The match was originally scheduled to be played last month but was postponed after more than a dozen Raja players contracted COVID-19. Although most have since recovered, they had little time to prepare for the crunch Zamalek meeting.
"My players were very exhausted and they produced great efforts during the game," Sellami told beIN sports in a pitch-side interview.
''We played a good game especially during the first half but we suffered many problems in the second.
"The players couldn't train normally in the past days due to our difficult circumstances but they performed well and I thank them for their efforts.
"Zamalek were physically more fit than my team and they deserved the win," he added.
Zamalek will face Ahly in an all-Egyptian final at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab stadium on 27 November.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: