Marcel Koller, the Swiss coach of Al Ahly, spoke about his halftime address to the players during the team’s match against Zamalek in the final of the Egypt Cup.
Al Ahly’s first football team clinched the Egypt Cup championship after defeating Zamalek with a two-nil victory in the final match held on Friday at Al Ahly Park Stadium.
Speaking to “On Time Sports” channel, Marcel Koller said, “We weren’t at our best in the first half.
There was a sense of complacency.
We spoke with the players at halftime, and there was better cohesion among them in the second half, and we managed to secure the win.”
The head coach continued, saying, “I will never grow tired.
I will remain the same height even if I win titles all the time.
With Al Ahly, I have won seven titles in 18 months, which is a significant achievement.”
Koller emphasized, “Winning titles with Al Ahly is what I always aim for.
I never tire of winning and achieving success with the team, and I transfer this continuous feeling to the players to strive for all championships and to delight the Al Ahly fans.”
Al Ahly vs. Zamalek in Egypt Cup Final Zamalek started the match with a lineup consisting of Mohamed Awad, Ahmed Fatouh, Hamza El-Mathlouthi, Hossam Abdel-Majeed, Omar Gaber, Nabil Emad Donga, Abdullah El-Said, Youssef Obama, Mostafa Shalaby, Nasser Maher, and Ahmed Mustafa “Zizo”.
In contrast, Al Ahly started the match with a lineup consisting of Mostafa Shobeir, Mohamed Hani, Mohamed Abdel-Monsef, Ramy Rabia, Ali Maaloul, Karim Nedved, Emam Ashour, Amr El Solia, Hussein El Shahat, Mahmoud Kahraba, and Percy Tau.
The beginning of the match saw attacking play from both teams to score the opening goal.
The sixth minute witnessed the most dangerous opportunity for Al Ahly from a shot by Amr El Solia that hit the defense and turned into a corner.
In the 12th minute, Zamalek had their first chance from a powerful shot by Ahmed Mustafa “Zizo” from outside the penalty area, saved by Mostafa Shobeir and turned into a corner.
Both teams intensified their offensive attempts to score, and in the 23rd minute, Emam Ashour fell inside Zamalek’s penalty area, and the Ahly players demanded a penalty kick, but after VAR review, the referee allowed play to continue without any foul being called.
In the 26th minute, Ahmed Mustafa “Zizo” sent a cross from the right flank saved by Mostafa Shobeir, followed by another save by the Ahly goalkeeper from another cross by Youssef Obama.
In the 37th minute, the referee showed a yellow card to Mostafa Shalaby for a foul with Percy Tau.
In the 42nd minute, Youssef Obama had a chance inside Al Ahly’s penalty area, but he failed to capitalize on it.
Both teams attempted to exploit the last minutes of the first half, with Mustafa Shobeir saving a shot from Mostafa Shalaby, ending the first half in a goalless draw.
At the beginning of the second half, Zamalek’s coaching staff substituted Mahmoud Abdel-Razek “Shikabala” for Ahmed Mustafa “Zizo”, and Al Ahly became more active in the early minutes, before Nasser Maher missed a chance for the White Knights from a header that went over the crossbar in the 53rd minute.
In the 57th minute, Zamalek had a dangerous opportunity from a cross by Ahmed Fatouh from the left flank that passed in front of Zamalek’s strikers.
In the 59th minute, Al Ahly had a chance from a header by Kahraba, but it hit Hossam Abdel-Majeed’s head.
Zamalek’s coaching staff then introduced Saif El-Jaziri and Nasser Maher instead of Nasser Maher and Obama, respectively, and Zamalek’s players became more active after the changes made by the coaching staff.
In the 73rd minute, Al Ahly’s coaching staff introduced Omar Kamal, Mohamed Magdy Afsha, and Marwan Mohsen instead of Tau, Nedved, and El Solia, respectively.
In the 76th minute, Saif El-Jaziri missed a clear chance to score the lead for the White Knights after missing the ball strangely.
The referee then showed a yellow card to Nabil Donga in the 82nd minute for a foul with Emam Ashour.
In the 84th minute, Emam Ashour scored the opening goal for Al Ahly after receiving a cross from Mohamed Magdy Afsha and turning it into a shot into the left corner of Mohamed Awad’s goal, and the referee awarded the goal after referring to VAR.
Zamalek increased their attempts in the final minutes to equalize, while Al Ahly sought to score a second goal to seal the match.
Mohamed Awad saved a powerful shot from Marwan Mohsen in the 90th minute, and Zamalek’s coaching staff introduced Samson Akinyoola instead of Abdullah El-Said, while Al Ahly introduced Akram Tawfik and Mahmoud Metwally instead of Hussein El Shahat and Kahraba, respectively.
The White Knights continued their attempts, but Mohamed Magdy Afsha succeeded in scoring the second goal for the Red Devils in the 94th minute from a powerful shot that nestled into the left corner of Mohamed Awad’s goal to end the match with Al Ahly’s victory and their crowning with the title.
