Jose Riveiro castigates Al Ahly for squandering chances in eight-goal Fifa Club World Cup thriller against Porto - 'It's a pity'

Al Ahly head coach Jose Riveiro has expressed disappointment after Al Ahly wasted chances against Porto during their last Fifa Club World Cup group match.

Al Ahly led four times but ended up picking up a point from a 4-4 draw against the Portuguese outfit. From the first half to the second half, the Egyptian giants created chances but were not clinical with them, although they scored four times.

Riveiro, who was on the verge of getting a first competitive victory with Al Ahly, was denied by a late equaliser by Porto's Pepe. According to the Spaniard, wastefulness is what cost them a chance of reaching the Round of 16.

"I think we played a good game. It is a pity that we did not capitalise on the number of chances we created. There were a lot of opportunities to score a lot of goals," Riveiro told DAZN.

"Obviously, not the results that we were looking for because we wanted to go through, but there was improvement," he added.

"In the second half, both teams were very tired; the weather conditions were tough for the boys to play football consistently."

Al Ahly enjoyed lively support all throughout the game from their fans, who attended the match in their numbers.

This, according to Riveiro, is an encouraging gesture, and he has urged the fans to keep up the enthusiastic support going forward.

"It seems that we were playing in Cairo. It is something that is unbelievable. I am not yet used to the Al Ahly fans. This is my third game with the team, my second week with the team, so everything is happening so fast," Riveiro said.

"I am feeling the love of the people. We need them, and today they played a big role in the second half to keep us in the game. So, yeah, it was a nice experience."

After failing to defend the Caf Champions League title, Al Ahly headed to the Club World Cup hoping to reach the knockout rounds to ease their continental disappointment.

However, they have left the global inter-club showpiece without a win and bottom of Group A.

This suggests that there is plenty of homework for Riveiro, who was appointed after Al Ahly sacked Marcel Koller following the Champions League elimination, as he prepares to take charge of his first season.

After a rather successful three-season stint and five trophies with Orlando Pirates, the Spaniard expects to have a bright future with Al Ahly.

Al Ahly are perennial winners in the Champions League and the Egyptian Premier League, and Riveiro is expected to match that standard.

Underperformance is surely expected to put him under a negative spotlight, especially from the club's notoriously vocal pundits and legends.