Photo: Ahly official website
The defending champions secured the three points through goals from Mahmoud Hassan 'Trezeguet' and Emam Ashour. In contrast, a late own goal confirmed the result after Mohamed Salem had briefly reduced the deficit for the hosts.
Speaking after the match, Thorup said the result was important but stressed that his team should have produced a stronger performance.
“We scored three goals, which gives us confidence, but I wasn’t happy even when we were two goals ahead because we gave the opponent a chance to get back into the match,” the Danish coach told reporters.
Thorup refused to blame external factors for the uneven display.
“I won’t make any excuses, whether it’s the poor pitch or the old match balls. The important thing is that we won, but we could have delivered a better performance,” he said.
The coach also underlined the need to correct mistakes quickly, referring to the early goal his side conceded.
“From the start, we should have corrected the mistake that led to the goal we conceded instead of focusing on who was responsible for it,” he added.
Thorup said squad selection remains based solely on performance, highlighting competition among his attacking options.
“We have three strikers: one starts, another is on the bench, and the third can be left out of the squad. My job is to choose the best line-up,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who earns the highest salary — what matters is who performs better on the pitch.”
The Ahly boss revealed that an early injury to right-back Karim Fouad forced him to alter his plans during the match.
“We had to make an early substitution because of Karim Fouad’s injury, which meant we couldn’t give Mohamed Sherif minutes towards the end,” he explained.
Thorup praised the impact of his substitutes, noting they helped influence the outcome for the second consecutive match following Ahly’s previous game against ZED FC.
He also said the coaching staff is keen to rotate players and test different partnerships within the squad, including a midfield pairing of Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane and Ahmed Nabil 'Koka'.
Regarding Camoes' continued absence for a second successive match, Thorup insisted that selection decisions are based purely on performance.
“I’ve said before, there is competition for every position. In the last game, Marwan Osman and Sherif played — does that mean Camoes is not good?” he said.
“We prepared a special programme for him to improve. My selections have nothing to do with whether a player is local or foreign. What matters is what I see on the pitch.”
Thorup also expressed sympathy for Fouad after the defender’s injury curtailed his opportunity to impress.
“I went to speak with Karim between the two halves because he had been waiting for his chance for a long time,” the coach said. “I spoke with the doctor, but I don’t have more details yet. I’m just sad about his injury.”
The victory lifted Ahly to 40 points, leaving them third in the Egyptian Premier League standings behind Zamalek SC and Pyramids FC on goal difference.
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