Photo courtesy Coach Motamed Gamal's Instagram account.
Zamalek booked their place in the prestigious continental tournament final for the third time in their history after holding Algeria’s CR Belouizdad to a goalless draw at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday.
The White Knights progressed with a 1-0 aggregate victory, having secured a crucial narrow win in the first leg in Algeria last week.
“I am asking Zamalek fans not to be sad for not winning today’s game,” the coach said in the press conference after the match.
“We had several scoring chances in the first half and also a disallowed goal, but the most important thing is achieving the target and reaching the final,” he added.
Gamal defended the defensive strategy of his team in Friday’s match to keep the positive result, adding that the away win in the first leg made the mission easier in Cairo.
The two-time champions will now await the outcome of Sunday’s second semi-final clash between Morocco’s Olympique de Safi and Algeria’s USM Alger to discover their final opponent.
“Our main target is to win the title. We respect our coming opponent whether it will be Olympique de Safi or USM Alger,” the coach concluded.
The first leg of the final is likely to be played on 9 May, and the return match is confirmed to be on 16 May.
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