CAIRO: Zamalek assistant coach Ayman Mansour said the 1-0 defeat to Ismaili was down to exhaustion rather than tactical problems.
The Cairo giants resumed the Egyptian League action with a disappointing away loss to Ismaili, thanks to Hosni Abd-Rabou s late strike.
Mansour believes Zamalek s trip to Rwanda to face APR in the CAF Champions League has taken its toll on the players.
The players were too exhausted after returning from Rwanda. We had no time to rest after conducting two training sessions prior to the Ismaili match, he said.
Our international players are also tired following Egypt s African Cup of Nations triumph, Mansour told the post-match press conference.
Talented winger Mahmoud “Shikabala Abdel Razeq was surprisingly left on the bench before being introduced in the second half.
Shikabala has been out of action for a long time so it was risky to field him from the beginning.
Abd-Rabou s strike was perfectly-timed for Ismaili because we had no time to respond, Mansour concluded.
