Hussein Amouta praises Al Ahly’s derby win and calls for Mohamed El Shenawy and Ahmed Shobeir competition

Hussein Amouta praised Al Ahly’s performance after they defeated Zamalek 2-0 in the Cairo derby, a result that moved them temporarily top of the Egyptian Premier League.

Mohamed Hany and Monsef Bekar scored the goals as Al Ahly secured their 16th point of the season. The victory also handed Zamalek their first defeat of the campaign, leaving them third on 13 points.

Speaking at his post-match news conference, Amouta said: “The capital derby is certainly a difficult match. We finished it well after introducing two new faces into the starting line-up.”

He added: “I thank everyone who contributed to achieving this result, as well as the fans for their support and backing until we secured the win.”

Amouta said the atmosphere had played an important role in the game, with the supporters creating the pressure expected in a major derby.

“Today’s match was more than excellent and the fans were strongly present,” he said. “That is the nature of derbies all over the world. The pressure is always there, whether in Egypt or Morocco.”

“If you want to play for titles, you have to cope with pressure. The presence of the supporters had an effect because no player can see these fans and fail to give everything.”

The manager also credited the international break with helping his team prepare. “The break benefited us because we played friendly matches, and in the last game we changed the entire defence,” he said.

Goalkeeping competition

Asked about the situation involving Egypt internationals Ahmed Shobeir and Mohamed El Shenawy, Amouta said Al Ahly needed both goalkeepers competing for their places.

“We need both of them for the competition,” he said. “Shobeir had an excellent World Cup and became Egypt’s first-choice goalkeeper. El Shenawy has also achieved great success and is performing well, so we need both of them.”

Amouta also defended his decision over the timing of the substitutions and praised Imam Ashour’s contribution.

“Everyone knows Imam Ashour’s level,” he said. “He may not start well, but at a certain moment he can change the result. Some people may not like his performance, but he appeared well today and will certainly be better in the coming matches.”

He said the team’s focus had remained strong despite some early concerns.

“Everyone wants to win. We played a good match. There was some fear at the beginning, but the players’ concentration was excellent, mentally as well.”

Ashraf Dari, one of the team’s new faces this season, was also singled out for praise after producing a good performance.

Amouta said Zizo had been “more than excellent” and could operate either as a midfielder or an attacking playmaker. He explained that Zizo had played in midfield while Imam Ashour was being prepared, but was used as a winger in the derby. The manager added that Zizo could be deployed in the number 10 role in future matches.

The result was Al Ahly’s 53rd league derby victory over Zamalek, compared with 29 wins for Zamalek and 51 draws.

Zamalek manager Moataz Gamal has yet to beat Al Ahly in two matches, losing 3-0 last season and 2-0 this season. Amouta, meanwhile, won his first derby against Zamalek.