Amoutta starts Al Ahly reign with five-goal friendly win over Al Nasr

Al Ahly opened a new era under Moroccan coach Houcine Ammouta with a comprehensive 5-1 friendly victory over Cairo side Al Nasr, as summer signing Ali Mahmoud and returning forward Nino Zugic both found the net.

The match, staged as part of both clubs’ pre-season preparations, was Ammoutta’s first in charge of Al Ahly since his appointment as head coach.

Mahmoud, who joined from Enppi ahead of the new campaign, marked his unofficial debut by scoring his first goal in an Al Ahly shirt against Al Nasr.

Slovenian attacker Nino Zugic, back at the club following a loan spell, struck twice in the same game to underline his bid for a place in Ammoutta’s plans for the coming season.

Morocco international Achraf Bencharki was also on target, while winger Hussein El Shahat added his name to the scoresheet to complete Al Ahly’s tally.

The encounter between Al Ahly and Al Nasr was played over three periods rather than the traditional two halves, a format agreed by both technical staffs to give as many players as possible extended minutes and to aid physical and tactical preparation for the new season.

Pre-season plans confirmed

As part of their build-up, Al Ahly have scheduled a pre-season training camp in Spain, which is set to begin on 6 August.

The Spanish camp will form a key phase of Ammoutta’s efforts to implement his ideas and assess his squad following this opening test against Al Nasr.