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“…defeat is a strong incentive to disappoint the expectations of many.”
Former Zamalek star Haitham Farooq expressed his sadness…The Whites lost the CAF Confederation Cup title this Saturday night, losing 7-8 on penalties to Algeria’s USM Algiers.After the two teams tied with one goal each in home and away matches.
“I applaud the players for what they did and congratulate Al-Ittihad Al-Capital, who played a great match and were more focused in the penalty shootout,” Farooq said.
“The goalkeepers couldn’t stop a single shot and even Mohamed Shehata’s shot went wide of the goal. I was very sad for Shehata, the fans were sad for him too, but the players played a great game and penalties always have an element of luck.”
Farooq went on to stress that the focus must immediately shift to the Egyptian league, saying: “A more important tournament awaits us in a few hours, which is the league. Participating in the African Champions League is a big goal and God bless the players to focus and make the fans happy.”
He attributed the defeat in the final to bad luck, particularly in the first leg, where “the match changed after Mahmoud Bentaek was sent off, then Mohamed Shehata’s strike, on top of Mehdi Suleiman’s injury”.
“Zamalek were the best in the first leg, while USMA came out much better today and wasted many chances, while Mohamed Awad, known for his brilliance in penalty kicks, failed to stop the ball.”
He explained that it is not correct to blame the technical staff led by Mothamed Gamal for losing the title, especially since it was on penalties.
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As for the club’s priorities if he were to take over, Farooq said: “If I had a choice between winning the league or the confederation, I’d choose the league and it’s not because of today’s loss, even though the confederation gives the club $4 million. The league is very important because Zamalek missed out on the African Champions League trophy and the local team can win the Champions League strong motivation three years ago. the expectations of many.”
