José Peseiro asks fans not to be harsh on Zamalek players after draw with Al Masry

Zamalek head coach José Peseiro praised his team’s performance after their goalless draw against Al Masry in the third round of the Nile Egyptian League title phase.

“We played a good match,” said Peseiro. “Zamalek deserved to win. The opposing team didn’t have as many chances as we did. We missed several opportunities, but I salute the players for their effort and determination. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky enough to secure the win.”

Peseiro continued: “This was the first match since I took over at Zamalek where we had enough time to prepare, due to the international break. Previously, I didn’t have sufficient time to improve the team’s quality.”

The Portuguese coach added: “Some players were absent today. I’m disappointed with the result, but I’m satisfied with the performance and commitment of the players. Everyone, whether starters or substitutes, gave their all.”

About not starting with two strikers, Peseiro explained: “In the Egypt Capital Cup match against Smouha, we played with two forwards. But aside from that match, today we performed well. The most important thing is organization and creating chances — and today we created twice as many chances as we did against Smouha. We deserved the win against Al Masry.”

He added: “Al Masry is one of the best defensive teams, yet we still managed to create many chances. Our title rivals had better luck yesterday than we did today, but we will keep fighting until the end. We will approach the remaining five matches with full focus. It’s still possible for the other contenders to drop points.”

Peseiro called on the fans not to be too harsh on the team. “The players are fully aware of the responsibility they carry. What I ask is that they continue to perform like they did today.”

Regarding refereeing decisions, he said: “I don’t like talking about officiating or specific incidents. I didn’t see clearly whether Nasser Mansi’s goal was rightly disallowed. Mistakes happen — what matters is avoiding repeated ones.”

He added: “All players can miss chances. We need to keep working to improve and correct the negative aspects.”

The match ended in a 0-0 draw at Borg El Arab Stadium. Zamalek now sits third in the table with 39 points, while Al Masry is fourth with 35 points.