Cairo - Arabstoday
Ismaily’s weak frontline was the main reason for Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by Ahly in the postponed game on the seventh matchday of the Egyptian League, a club official confessed on Wednesday. “Our attack was very weak and we had a lot of missed opportunities against the goal,” Ismaily board member Mohsen Abdel-Meseh told the club’s official website following the game. “Our goalkeeper and defenders gave good performances, especially Ahmed Khairy and Hosni Abd-Rabou. I hope the players do their best in the coming period so as to reconcile with our fans,” added Abdel-Meseh. In the absence of injured Nigerian striker Godwin Ndubuisi, Ismaily was obliged to play with a single player, Ahmed Aly, in the attacking line. Aly, however, was hardly in top form, missing several opportunities that cost the team three badly needed points. Even a decision by Dervishes coach Mahmoud Gaber to press forward with Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Gresha and Abdallah El-Chahat failed to help the club, who are now 7th in the league table with 14 points – 11 behind leaders Haras El-Hodoud. Several controversial decisions by referee Gihad Grreish in Tuesday’s game appeared to frustrate both Ahly and Ismaily officials. Ismaily assistant coach Abou Taleb El-Esawy, however, refused to discuss the matter. “The referee wasn’t fair, but I’ll not talk about details. Ahly didn’t deserve to win, as we dominated the entire game while they were just lucky at times,” El-Esawy told Ahram Online. ahramonline .