Al Ahly interim coach Samy Komsan has revealed why he took Percy Tau off at half-time in the Cairo Derby against Zamalek.
Tau was brought back into the starting line-up after initially being rested in the 4-1 win over Eastern Company last week, as they allowed him some time off upon returning from Bafana Bafana duty.
Ahly got into the field for the first time after parting ways with Pitso Mosimane. The South African mentor was in charge of the side for 20 months and managed to grab five trophies which saw Komsan appointed a caretaker coach.
This was the first Cairo Derby without the 57-year-old South African mentor after winning three out of four derbies since he took charge of the side. But Komsan was happy with a draw they got after a blockbuster Sunday night as he labelled Zamalek as tricky opponents to play against.
“We started well and showed the desire to win,” Komsan said in the post-match press conference, as per KingFut. “We had many chances to extend our lead early in the game.
“The match came at a time where we have injured players in [Aliou] Dieng and Ayman Ashraf, as well as players returning from international duty and others suffering from fatigue.
“That’s why we had to replace [Percy] Tau with Hussein El-Shahat because he was tired. Ali Maaloul and Hamdy Fathi are also suffering from muscle strain.
“Zamalek is a tough opponent and they showed great character in the game. To get four points from them in the league is a huge positive for us today.
The 42-time Egyptian Premier League champions remain four points behind the defending champions Zamalek SC with three games in hand.
