Head coach of Al Ahly, Jess Thorup, has said that his outfit was lucky to have escaped defeat against JS Kabylie in the CAF Champions League penultimate group stage clash on Saturday.
The highly competitive Group B clash ended in a pulsating goalless draw, as both teams struggled to find the back of the net.
The draw sees JS Kabylie bow out of the CAF’s elite club competition despite having a game at hand, while Al Ahly secures a place in the quarterfinal.
At the post-match conference, the Danish tactician admitted his outfit were lucky to have secured a point against the Algerian club, stressing they didn’t perform at their best.
“We knew there were 6 difficult matches in the group. Our goal from the beginning was to qualify for the quarter-finals.”
“I was not satisfied with the performance, especially in the first half, and we must acknowledge that we were lucky to come away with a draw, but sometimes when you can’t win, you shouldn’t lose,” he stressed.
“The opponent did not create any chances in the second half. We didn’t perform at our best against JS Kabylie, but we earned 9 points throughout the tournament.”
“JS Kabylie played a great and strong match, especially in the first half, where they missed two or three chances, and played better than in the match that took place in Egypt.”
“We didn’t go into the match aiming for a draw, but to be clear, I told the players at halftime that we shouldn’t lose. A draw was the best result to qualify for the quarter-finals, so we played with 5 defenders. We created two counter-attacks in the second half, but we didn’t score.”
“The performance of JS Kabylie against us, which led to their elimination from the tournament, tells you about the strength of the group we are in.”
“We always play under the pressure that we are required to win. We lost two of the most important players in the team, Zizo and Trezeguet, and losing them affects any team, and whoever replaces them has to be good.”
With one game to end the group stage games, Al Ahly are on top of Group B with 9 points, while JS Kabylie sit bottom with a paltry three points after 5 matches.
The Egyptian giants will take on FA Rabat in the final round of games in Group B, a match that will determine the winner of the group.
