The Portuguese coach said that his team held on well to their first half lead, especially after Ahli skipper Shadi Mohamed missed a penalty shortly after the interval.

"Our stability after the penalty miss was crucial, we were in control before it, but missing a penalty at such a stage could be a turning point in favor of the opposition," the Ahli manager said.

"I was glad to see that our defense did not lose concentration, and on the contrary, we managed to remain focused and maintain possession.

"I think it’s a deserved victory, although I believe Zamalek played a fine game."

Krol frustrated

Zamalek manager Ruud Krol was disappointed by his side's display, particularly in the first half, which he described to be 'clumsy'.

"We were playing clumsily in the first half, we lacked communication and some of our players were almost absent from the game," said the Dutchman.

"Unlike previous matches, our defense did not seem to be in good shape, mistakes at the back gave Ahli room to score and then win a penalty."

Zamalek defensive trio Ahmed Magdi, Mahmoud Fathallah and Karim Zekri made their Cairo derby debut with the Whites, and Krol believes they looked nervous against a stable Ahli team.

"We had more than one player facing Ahli for the first time, on the other hand, our opponents have an unchanged line-up for almost four seasons," he added.