Abdelghany praises Mostafa Shobeir’s reaction against Zamalek

Magdy Abdelghany praised Mostafa Shobeir’s reaction to an Ahmed Sherif chance during the big match against Zamalek. The former Al Ahly and Egypt national-team player called the red team goalkeeper’s response remarkable.

Assessing the game, Abdelghany said Zamalek’s players were not in their best physical condition. He also cautioned against drawing firm conclusions about Ashraf Dari: in his view, Al Ahly’s defender had not faced a genuine test from Zamalek’s attackers. Abdelghany said he would rather assess Dari’s technical ability in a tougher match, such as the game against Pyramids.

Abdelghany also felt Al Ahly had not produced its best technical performance after scoring the opening goal against Zamalek. He said the players’ morale had been affected, then improved again when the possibility of a penalty was raised.

Speaking about Ahmed Sayed Zizo’s drop in form at Al Ahly, he said: « Zizo a pris le mauvais œil à cause des 100 millions qu’il a reçus d’Al Ahly », presenting it as a possible reason for the player’s decline.

Abdelghany also discussed Mohamed Salah’s absence for Egypt’s match against South Sudan. He said the synthetic pitch was not the reason and stated that the national-team captain had left the training camp feeling sad. He described Salah as a world-class player and likened his place in football history to that of Mokhtar El-Tetsh and Helmy Zamora. In Abdelghany’s view, Salah’s achievements and numbers will be difficult to replicate. He added that, if he were currently in charge of the national team, he would give Salah special treatment: when in a strong psychological and mental state, the player can make the difference and help the team win.