CAIRO: ENPPI coach Anwar Salama said the referee was the main reason behind his team s 1-0 loss to Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League on Tuesday.
A second half strike from Hani Saied was enough for Zamalek to win the game which ENPPI had to finish with ten men after Ayman Saied s dismissal.
We knew that whoever will be assigned to judge the game will favor Zamalek, Salama bitterly said after the game.
The referee totally ruined the game for us by sending Saied off. It was clear that the player did not deserve a second yellow card.
Zamalek assistant coach Sami Al-Shishini expressed his happiness with the win, stressing that his team were in desperate need of the game s points.
It s a good result especially that ENPPI are one of the strongest teams in the league, Al-Shishini said.
Al-Shishini refused to confirm that the technical staff will stick to the same line-up which brought Zamalek their first win after a six-game winless run in the league.
We had a number of changes tonight due to [Mahmoud Abdel-Razeq] Shikabala s injury.
It ll be impossible to play with two strikers and two wingers when Shikabala returns to the squad, as the player is always given a free role behind the attackers.
The win lifted Zamalek to eighth position in the league table with 27 points, while ENPPI remain third on 36.
