Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller expressed his joy at qualifying for the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League.
The African champions won 1-0 against Young Africans in the match held as part of the sixth and final round of the competition’s group stage.
Hussein El-Shahat’s second-half strike was the difference as Al Ahly extended their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
For the first time since 2008, Al Ahly qualified without losing any matches in the group stage, and they also qualified as group leaders for the first time since 2019.
Marcel Koller said in the press conference: “I think we played well in the first half, but I didn’t like the lack of aggression and focus.
“I spoke to the players at the break, and they regained their courage and aggression in the second half, where we managed to score the first goal, and the opponent only had one chance against us.
“Shobeir has done well today, but we cannot forget El-Shenawy’s importance, not only on the pitch but also as the team captain. He has a big role, and I’m sure he will come back stronger.
“I told Kahraba that he is the third-choice striker. He needs to give his best in training to secure his place in the lineup, especially since the other two [Wessam Abou Ali and Anthony Modeste] are performing well and scoring goals.
“He must train consistently well but he’s still in our plans and has done well in the last four training sessions,” he concluded.