Ahly coach Jess Thorup Photo: Al Ahly official facebook page
The Cairo giants held to a 1-1 draw with their Moroccan hosts in the second round of the prestigious continental tournament group stage.
“We knew how difficult the game will be. The draw is an acceptable result amid the surrounding circumstances. Both teams had chances but finally the game ended with a draw,” the coach said in the press conference after the game.
“The penalty against us wasn’t convincing and also as I said before the absence of Video Assistant Technology (VAR) during the group stage games has a big effect. I don’t want to talk about refereeing mistakes but there were two clear influential mistakes that costed us a lot in the game,” the Danish coach added.
With Friday’s result, Ahly retain the Group B summit with five points, level with Tanzania's Young Africans, who sit second on goal difference, while FAR Rabat are third with a single point, also level with Algeria’s JS Kabylie, who sit at the bottom of the group.
Thorup hailed the progress in his team’s performance in the second half, especially amid the huge support from Moroccan fans for the opponent. However, he criticized the behavior of some supporters who threw bottles onto the pitch.
“We came to win, but sometimes the circumstances become difficult and the makes you obliged to accept winning one point away. The most important thing that we didn’t lose,” the Ahly coach explained.
“Our group is one of the most difficult groups in recent years and any team that comes here to Morocco will face the same difficulties. My main concentration now is to develop the team’s performance and preparing strongly to next rounds,” he concluded.
Ahly, who defeated JS Kabylie 4-1 in the group stage opening game last week, are chasing a record-extending 13th title following their elimination from last edition’s semi-final after losing to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.
The 12-time African champions, Ahly, will be hosting Young Africans in the next round on 23 January.
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