Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane has heaped praise on the performance of his youthful side earning a 1-1 draw with Ismaily in the EPL Cup on Monday evening.

Ismaily opened the score in the first half through Carmelo Algarañaz’s header before Ahmed Sayed Gharib scored his debut goal for Ahly in the last minute of the game to save a point for the Red Eagles in Alexandria.

At his post-match media conference, Mosimane gave his take on the performance of the young players, while also explaining why he gave them much-needed game time in Monday’s encounter.

“I’m very proud of the boys. They played two games against two tough teams. We played to win; however, I consider it a victory especially as our youngsters were great.

“It’s our second game in four days. Their ages are young. You could see that they do not have energy left, but they have the spirit.

“We do not have enough time to train, but they followed the tactics.

“Mohamed Mahmoud is a very good, experienced player. However, he lacks game time and doesn’t have the speed of the game. Of course, his physical condition isn’t good. He can’t run like Ammar, Fakhry and Mano. That’s why we are trying to prepare him in this tournament.

“I don’t have a lot of options. The players who are supposed to play in the Fifa Club World Cup have not trained yet. I try to do my best.”