CAIRO: Ahly left-back Sayed Moawad admitted the psychological pressure on his side took its toll on their perfmance as the Egyptian Premier League nears its finale.
The Red Devils used to wrap up the league title several rounds before the end during the past four seasons.
This season the title winner will be determined in the league’s last game as Ahly will meet Ismaili in a playoff match on Sunday after they defeated Gaish and Tersana respectively on Wednesday.
Ismaili s ability to catch up with us put the players under immense pressure, which dearly affected our performance, said Moawad, who came on as a second-half substitute in Ahly s crucial 3-1 victory over Gaish.
But I m sure that we will improve in the league decider against Ismaili.
The playoff will take place at Harras Hodoud s Max Stadium in Alexandria on Sunday.
It will be the third meeting between Ahly and Ismaili in such a decisive game.
Ismaili defeated Ahly 2-0 in 1991 but the Cairo giants had the upper hand three years later, winning 4-3.
