Morocco's Houssine Ammouta, head coach of Al Ahly of Egypt, said his side's win over rivals Zamalek (2-0) on Sunday in the Premier League was deserved, adding that the Red side needs both of its goalkeepers, Mohamed El Shenawy and Mostafa Shobeir, together.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ammouta said: "The Al Ahly and Zamalek derby is always difficult, the match was very difficult, with the players having returned from international duty only recently. Our win was deserved, especially after scoring two goals."
Read also
The Bernabeu erupts: jeers follow Real Madrid players against Villarreal
Video: Diomande scores his first goals for Real Madrid, and a red card for Vinicius after the goal
He continued: "Tawfik Mohamed and Ashraf Dari were outstanding. We put a programme in place during the international break and played three friendly matches. There are players such as Ashraf Dari and Tawfik Mohamed whom we worked on getting ready, especially as there are some serious injuries in the defensive line."
On goalkeeping, he said: "We need Mohamed El Shenawy and Shobeir, both are extremely important to us. Mostafa Shobeir is Egypt's first-choice goalkeeper, but we must not forget what El Shenawy delivered over long periods with Al Ahly and the Egypt national team."
The Moroccan coach added: "In the second half we needed some changes, and we brought on Moncef Bakrar and Omar El Saai. Some may feel that Emam Ashour did not perform at the required level, but he played a good match. Zizo also put in a wonderful performance, he played on the right and the left, and after Ashour came off, he played in the number 10 role."
In comments on Al Ahly's channel, Ammouta said: "It is not easy to beat Zamalek. There was a huge effort mentally and physically, and the players were committed and showed their qualities, especially the forwards, in creating chances. Winning by two goals is a result that means a lot to us. Al Ahly is a big club, the club of the century, and it has more than wonderful fans."
Mohamed Hany broke the deadlock for the Red Giants on 39 minutes. Algeria's Moncef Bakrar made it two on 80, drilling a low shot into the far corner past Mahdi Soliman.