Jess Thorup backs Mohamed El Shenawy while Josef Zinnbauer admits Al Ahly’s superiority

Following Al Ahly’s 4-1 victory over JS Kabylie, Danish coach Jess Thorup expressed his delight with the result and praised the fans for their strong support at Cairo International Stadium.

“We came for a big win and to get a strong start in the group stage. I thank everyone for filling up the stadium and supporting us tonight,” he said.

Thorup felt his team could have scored even more, stating, “We deserved to win by an even bigger margin, we created more than four clear chances. There were 15 minutes in the second half where Kabylie put us under pressure, but overall, the score could have been six or seven.” He was generally pleased with his squad’s effort and highlighted the team’s improved cohesion, especially with increased physical effort.

When asked about goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy’s mistake that led to an own goal, Thorup defended him, saying, “We are one team. We win and lose together, and mistakes are part of football.” He stressed that the error was a result of a difficult situation caused by the defender, not solely on El Shenawy, and credited substitute Mustapha Shobeir’s late save after El Shenawy left due to injury.

On JS Kabylie’s side, coach Josef Zinnbauer conceded: “The result is harsh, but Al Ahly’s experienced squad made the difference. We lacked attacking aggression, especially in the first half. Al Ahly are true continental champions, it’s a learning moment for our young group.”