Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has explained the reason behind his decision to take off Luís Miquissone and keep Percy Tau on the pitch in their win over Al Ittihad on Wednesday evening.

The Red Eagles managed to secure a narrow 1-0 win over Al Ittihad of Alexandria in their Egyptian Premier League encounter at the Al Ahly WE Al Salam Stadium, with Luis Miquissone scoring the only goal of the game.

With the win, Ahly extend their lead at the top of the table to three points over rivals Zamalek in second place, with 31 points from 11 matches, while Al Ittihad remains in 11th place with 14 points from 13 matches.

In his post-match media conference, Mosimane talked about the team’s performance, clarifying why goalscorer Miquissone was substituted with Tau kept on the field.

“It was a difficult game. We played good in the first half, but we struggled in the second one. However, we won 1-0 and collected the three points,” Mosimane told his club’s official website.

“When the game does not go well for you, you must respond to what you see. It was a difficult situation, but we won.

“We took Luis Miquissone out to fresh up the team. We will be playing three games in seven days so we have to have some rest players.

“We decided to keep Percy Tau because he looked like he can score. Today, he went on a one-on-one situation but the keeper blocked it. I think maybe he will score in the next time.”