Gamal admits Zamalek “made it difficult” despite reaching CAF Confederation semi-finals

Moatamed Gamal, head coach of Zamalek SC, admitted his side complicated their own path to qualification despite securing a 2-1 victory over AS Otohô in the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final second leg.

Speaking after the match, Gamal said:

“We made the game difficult for ourselves due to a lack of concentration and poor decisions. We could have conceded and gone out — and apologies wouldn’t have helped then.”

Praise for Fans and Unusual Goalkeeping Incident

Gamal reserved special praise for Zamalek’s supporters, emphasizing their crucial role in the team’s qualification.

“I don’t have enough words to thank our fans. Without them, we could have been eliminated today.”

The coach also addressed the bizarre situation following the red card shown to goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi, which forced striker Seifeddine Jaziri to step in as an emergency goalkeeper.

“I’ve never trained any player to be a goalkeeper and I don’t want to repeat this again. It was a bad decision from the goalkeeper, and I chose Jaziri after consulting the players.”

Discipline, Missed Chances, and Squad Updates

Gamal confirmed that disciplinary action will be taken against Sobhi following his dismissal, stressing that team rules apply to everyone.

He also highlighted Zamalek’s ongoing struggles in front of goal:

“We are working every day to fix the issue of missed chances, but we need more time to improve our finishing.”

On the goalkeeping situation, he revealed that Mohamed Awad has resolved his issues and will return to training normally after the team’s break.

External Pressure

Despite leading by two goals, Gamal criticized his players:

“The players felt the game was already won, despite my warnings. We asked them to score more goals.”

He also noted that the announcement of Egypt’s national team squad before the match added pressure on excluded players.

Tactical Notes and Next Challenge

Gamal explained his tactical choices, including using Oday Dabbagh on the right flank, with Bezerra operating on the left and both players rotating positions during the game.

Zamalek advanced to the semi-finals after a 2-1 win on the night, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg. The Egyptian side will now face CR Belouizdad in the semi-finals as they aim to go all the way in the CAF Confederation Cup.

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