Zamalek coach: “It was the best game for us”

Zamalek coach Yannick Ferreira praised his team’s performance following their 2-1 victory over Modern Sport in the third round of the Nile Egyptian League at Suez Canal Authority Stadium.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ferreira said: “We started the game well and scored an early goal. We created additional chances, but after around 20 minutes, the team’s intensity dropped slightly.”

Zamalek coach added: “We began the second half strongly, scoring the second goal. We had opportunities to seal the match, but the opponents scored a surprising goal. Zamalek had a chance for a third, but we failed to capitalize. The opponent didn’t create any real scoring chances.”

Ferreira described this match as Zamalek’s best performance in the three league games so far, praising the players’ mentality. He emphasized the importance of scoring a third goal in future matches to kill off the game.

On tactical decisions, Zamalek coach explained: “We considered playing Ahmed Fatouh instead of Nasser Maher, weighing him against Sallah Moussaddaq. We chose Moussaddaq because Modern Sport relies on set-pieces and crosses.”

Regarding injuries, he noted: “Ahmed Hamdi missed today’s game due to an injury sustained in recent training. We will assess his condition to determine his readiness for future sessions.”

Yannick Ferrera also provided insights into player substitutions: “Juan Alfena was substituted due to fatigue, while Mohamed Shehata experienced groin discomfort. Adi Al-Dabbagh worked hard, so we brought in Nasser Monsi. After Chico Banza’s goal, he wasn’t very effective offensively, so we introduced Adam Kaied to exploit his speed against Modern Sport’s right-back. Kaied can play as a winger or a number 10, and we needed him on the wing due to Nasser Maher’s presence.”

Addressing the strikers’ scoring drought, Zamalek coach said: “We conduct special training for our forwards. Once the team’s overall performance improves, the strikers will start scoring in upcoming matches.”