We paid for our mistakes, says Petrojet's Ibrahim

Petrojet hitman Alaa Ibrahim is convinced that his side underestimated minnows Olympic, who condemned the petroleum side to a 3-1 loss on Tuesday.

كتب : Sherif Tarek

الثلاثاء، 17 فبراير 2009 - 21:08
إبراهيم سجل هدف الفوز لسموحة في مرمى البلدية
Petrojet hitman Alaa Ibrahim is convinced that his side underestimated minnows Olympic, who condemned the petroleum side to a 3-1 loss on Tuesday.

Egyptian Premier League strugglers Olympic, who now lie in penultimate place with 16 points, produced an impressive display in the game to register a surprising win and dent their opponents' title hopes.

Petrojet would have regained the league's top spot if they had won, but with the unexpected result, defending champions Ahli remained at the summit with 36 points.

"We thought the game would be a walk in the park, given that Olympic have been stumbling for quite a while," Ibrahim commented on the match.

"There are no drastic differences among all Egyptian players, only concentration counts more than anything else."

When asked about Petrojet boss Mokhtar Mokhtar's reaction to the game, the 34-year-old player said: "Mokhtar, as such, is disgruntled with our performance."

"Our upcoming game against Ahli is going to be a tough challenge, and we need Mokhtar to help us get our act together as soon as possible."

Unfair

Ibrahim hit out at referee Gihad Greisha, who presided over the game and disallowed a Petrojet goal.

The veteran marksman tried to take advantage of Olympic's third goal celebration and tucked home from the center spot right after the restart.

But Greisha canceled Ibrahim's strike as some of Olympic's players were away from the pitch at the moment.

"It's not our fault that they were too busy celebrating their goal. It was a good advantage and I seized it. Greisha's decision was so unfair," Ibrahim added.

Soliman's Absence

Petrojet front-man Al-Sayed Hamdi believes Walid Soliman's departure clearly weakened the team.

Skillful playmaker Soliman joined Ahli Jeddah on a six-month loan deal weeks ago, leaving an unfilled void in Mokhtar's side.

"Obviously, we are affected by Soliman's absence, but I reckon the coaching staff will soon find a good replacement for him," Hamdi said.

Now Petrojet lie second in the league table with 34 points.