Rabat – Former Zamalek captain Mahmoud Abdel Razek “Shikabala” has criticized Al Ahly head coach Hussein Amouta despite the Moroccan leading his side to a 2-0 win over their Cairo rivals on Sunday.
Former Zamalek captain Mahmoud Abdel Razek “Shikabala” has criticized Al Ahly
Speaking on the Egyptian television program El Kora Maa Fayek, Shikabala argued that Zamalek’s performance left enough space for Al Ahly to win by a much larger margin.
“If Hussein Amouta were really a great coach, in my opinion, and with the way Zamalek were playing, if he had used Zizo and Bencharki properly, this match would have ended three or four [for Al Ahly],” Shikabala said.
The former Egypt international was also critical of Al Ahly’s overall display, arguing the scoreline did not reflect a particularly convincing attacking performance.
“Technically, I feel Al Ahly did nothing on the pitch,” he said, claiming the first goal benefited from a deflection and that Zamalek goalkeeper El Mahdi Soliman could have dealt better with the second.
Amouta wins first Cairo derby
Al Ahly nevertheless secured all three points at Cairo International Stadium in Matchday 6 of the Egyptian Premier League.
Mohamed Hany opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a long-range effort before Algerian substitute Monsef Bakrar doubled the lead in the 80th minute to seal the 2-0 win.
The result marked Amouta’s first Cairo derby as Al Ahly head coach.
Speaking after the game, the Moroccan coach described the victory as deserved but stressed the difficulty of facing Zamalek, particularly with several players returning from international duty shortly before the fixture.
“The Al Ahly-Zamalek derby is always difficult,” Amouta said. “The match was very difficult, especially with the players only recently returning from their national teams. Our victory was deserved.”
He also praised former Zamalek players Ahmed Sayed “Zizo” and Achraf Bencharki, with Zizo operating in several attacking positions during the contest.
The win temporarily moved Al Ahly to the top of the Egyptian Premier League standings on 16 points, three ahead of Zamalek, while extending the Red Devils’ record in the league’s Cairo derby to 53 victories.
