Moatamed Gamal, Zamalek's head coach, said his side deserved at least two penalties in the top-of-the-table clash against Al Ahly, offering his apologies to the White Knights' supporters following the defeat.
Al Ahly beat their rivals Zamalek (2-0) on Sunday evening at Cairo Stadium, in the sixth round of the Egyptian Premier League.
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Speaking at the post-match press conference, Moatamed Gamal said: "Fortune was not on our side in the first half, and we conceded a goal from a ball that struck one of the players and changed direction."
He added: "Zamalek were the better side in the second half, but we did not convert the chances that came our way, and we conceded the second goal. We will close the file on this match and start focusing on the important fixture against the Rwandan Army side in the African Champions League."
His explanation for the reshuffle followed. "I changed the way we played out of necessity because of the absences and injuries, and Oday Dabbagh's illness after his return, as well as Adam Kayed's injury in the warm-up before the match. At the very least, Zamalek deserved two penalties in today's game. I have never spoken about refereeing, but what happened was strange, and I hope everyone watches the two incidents."
"Simple mistakes"
The Zamalek coach went on: "We conceded two goals because of simple mistakes, and we will work on fixing them to avoid a repeat. I started Ahmed Sherif because of his pace, and Zamalek's threat in the first half came thanks to his runs."
One journalist put it to him that the defeat was harsh. He bristled. "Don't say the result was harsh. The match was 50-50, and the scoreline is not heavy."
Gamal concluded by saying: "I apologise to the Zamalek fans. I was hoping to make them happy in today's match by beating Al Ahly."