AL AHLY manager, Pitso Mosimane, discussed their CAF Champions League final and the strong relationship between his current club and Mamelodi Sundowns.
Mosimane led the Red Devils to their ninth CAF Champions League title and their first since 2013 after their 2-1 win over Zamalek in the final.
The two giants of Egyptian football faced off in a historic final on Friday at the Cairo International Stadium, with the Reds eyeing their ninth title, while Zamalek were keen to win their first Champions League title since 2002.
Amr El-Sulya put the Reds in front with a header after only five minutes, before Shikabala equalised for the Whites following a superb solo run.
With the score tied at 1-1, Mohamed Magdy Afsha found the back of Abo Gabal’s net with a spectacular long-range volley, to earn Al Ahly their ninth CAF Champions League title.
Pitso Mosimane talked about the pressure he endured during the game and how he pushed the team to win.
“You have to understand the situation you’re in. I came to coach a big team in a very critical period and that’s why I couldn’t start everything from scratch but I had to start implementing my ideas little by little,” Pitso told Al Ahly TV.
“You also have to listen to the people around you and try to see and listen to everyone and respect their culture and religion and make them accept you. Then you share with them your vision and your style of play.
“All things must be done rationally and you shouldn’t just sell people an idea or a dream. You have to be precise and know their strengths and weaknesses to correct them.
“The main question we asked ourselves was why didn’t the club win this trophy in the past seven years? And after the first 45 minutes the team wasn’t sure if we would win the game, which is a normal feeling taking into account the fact that we haven’t won it in seven years.
“Of course I was nervous but when you fly a plane and face some challenges you can’t show the passengers how you’re really feeling because they depend on you.”
“I let Mohamed El-Shennawy talk to the players during half-time. His speech was powerful and effective, while I was waiting in another room because he understands their culture and they’ll understand what he’s saying. My role is to talk about the technical aspects,” he added.
Pitso Mosimane then discussed the strong relationship between his former club and Al Ahly.
“I think that at least half of the Mamelodi Sundowns fans now support Al Ahly because of the strong relationship between both clubs,” he continued.
“We knocked-out Al Ahly once and they did it too but both games were played with high spirits and a great atmosphere.
“The credit should go to South Africa for producing good coaches.
“Football should be played with respect and a good spirit, and this creates an atmosphere of understanding between the two teams.
“Al Ahly fans went to the Mamelodi Sundowns Stadium and there were no problems and the same can be said when the South African fans came to Egypt.
“South Africa has a lot of respect for Al Ahly and understand their value and we always asked ourselves, why haven’t Al Ahly won the trophy lately?
“We know the value of the Al Ahly players like Sayed Abdelhafiz, Wael Gomaa, and Mohamed Aboutrika.
“I don’t know why Al Ahly wasn’t able to win but we had to change some things and that’s what I told the players.
“We had to work differently from the past seven years to achieve what we failed to achieve previously,” he concluded.
The South African manager might win the treble in his first season in charge of Al Ahly as they might face Zamalek in one week in another crucial final as they both reached the semi-finals of the Egypt Cup.
The Whites will face Tala’a El-Geish while the Reds will host Ittihad of Alexandria.
(SOURCE: KINGFUT)
