Al Ahly coach Jess Thorup has expressed his disappointment after dropping points against National Bank of Egypt in a high-stake Egyptian Premier League clash.
The match, held at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday night ended in a 1-1 draw, with both teams securing a point.
National Bank went to the halftime break with the advantage after Mostafa Shalaby broke the deadlock in the 11th-minute mark.
Ten minutes to full time, the Egyptian giants pulled parity through highly-rated attacker Mahmoud Trezeguet. Both teams searched for the match-winner in the dyeing embers of the match, but neither could find a decisive breakthrough as the game ended in a draw.
Speaking after the match, Thorup expressed his frustration after his outfit stumble against National Bank of Egypt in the league. Al Ahly has now stumbled for the third time in their last four league matches, continuing their points hemorrhage.
“For the second game in a row we conceded a goal from a set piece, and we played against a team that plays with a strong and organized defense,” said Jess Thorup at the press conference.
“We need to train more on playing against teams that face us in a strong defensive manner, because it wasn’t enough to control the ball and create opportunities.”
“I don’t usually talk about a specific player, but I need to talk about Trezeguet because he performed brilliantly and in a fighting manner, and tried to benefit and help the team until the last minute despite the great fatigue he was suffering from.”
“I’m disappointed to have lost two points in the league race, but our focus is on a very important upcoming match in the African Championship.”
The draw leaves Al Ahly third in the league standings with 27 points, while National Bank of Egypt remain ninth on 21 points.
