Zamalek coach commends Ismaily defence, refuses to blame players

Zamalek coach Helmy Toulan refused to blame his team's players after the 1-0 loss to Ismaily in the 3rd matchday of Egypt's Premier League on Thursday. "Zamalek and Ismaily are a big two teams and while we managed to dominate them throughout the game, they defended well after scoring the victory goal," Toulan was quoted as saying on Zamalek's official website after the match. Ismaily claimed their third consecutive win in the Egyptian league with a 1-0 win over Zamalek on Thursday in the third matchday of Group B, thanks to midfielder Ibrahim Hassan who scored the winner in the 30th minute. Zamalek, missing a reliable playmaker, huffed and puffed throughout the 90 minutes but were easily contained by defensive-minded Ismaily, who were happy with their first-half lead. "Ismaily's defence helped them to win the game as Zamalek players failed to break the defence rock," he added. "I have confidence in Zamalek players and their ability to win the coming games to compete for the group's top position," Ismaily said. "I can't blame players for the loss as they did their best throughout the game." Ismaily coach Ahmed El-Agouz expressed his pleasure at the win which sent the team to the top of the Premier League's Group B. "I thank my players for their performance in the game and for snatching three points from Zamalek," the Ismaily coach said. "My plan in the game was to close the defence area and playing the counter attack that gave us the victory." Following Thursday's win, Ismaily secured their place as Group B leader with nine points, while Zamalek fell to fifth place with three points. Source: Ahram Online