Ahmed Atef says ZED will use international break to correct mistakes

ZED forward Ahmed Atef says the club will use the international break to address their weaknesses and return in better form after securing a 2-1 win over Al Qanah.

Atef scored the decisive goal as ZED claimed victory in the fifth round of the league, earning their first win over Al Qanah this season and moving to 7 points in 10th place.

The September international break begins on 21 September and runs until 6 October, giving ZED a 20-day period to work on their performance.

“We have a 20-day break and will use it to correct our mistakes so we can come back stronger,” Atef told On Sport.

He said the result was particularly important because of the quality of the opposition, while stressing that there was still a long way to go in the competition.

“The league is still long and today was only the beginning,” he added. “Today’s match was against a difficult opponent, and the most important thing is that we won the game.”

Atef was named player of the match after helping ZED secure three points. However, he said individual recognition was not his main objective and credited his team-mates for the award.

“I do not focus on trying to win the player of the match award,” Atef said. “The award is recognition of the efforts made by my team-mates.”

The result lifted ZED above Al Qanah in the standings. Al Qanah remain on 6 points in 11th place after suffering their first defeat of the season.

Before the loss, Al Qanah had recorded one victory, against Ceramica Cleopatra, and drawn three times with El Gouna, Wadi Degla and Tala’ea El Gaish.

The match also marked the first time ZED had scored more than once in a game since the start of the season.