Al Masry coach Nabil Kouki: “Our main goal was to avoid defeat against Al Ahly”

Al Masry head coach Nabil Kouki admitted that his team approached their clash with Al Ahly with the minimum objective of avoiding defeat, acknowledging the strength of the Cairo giants, whom he described as “one of the best teams in Africa.”

The Port Said side held Al Ahly to a 0–0 draw in Round 13 of the 2025–26 Nile Egyptian League, earning a valuable point.

Speaking after the match, Kouki said according to Yallakora:

“It was a very tough game against one of the best sides in Africa. Al Ahly’s draw in their previous match against Petrojet made this encounter even more difficult for us.”

He added:

“We were also affected by the physical effort exerted by the players in our previous match against Al Ittihad (Libya). Al Ahly dominated most of the first half, but I made several changes in the second half, and our performance improved noticeably.”

Kouki praised his team’s defensive performance, saying:

“We achieved what we wanted — not to lose if we couldn’t win. Most of Al Ahly’s chances came from long-range shots, and our goalkeeper Mahmoud Hamdy dealt superbly with the dangerous situations.”

Al Masry coach concluded:

“I’m satisfied with the players’ performance, especially in the second half when we relied on quick transitions and created several promising chances after the substitutions.”

The result means Al Ahly sit second in the standings with 23 points, while Al Masry sit fifth, just three points behind the defending champions.

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