Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane was pleased with his side’s showing against CF Monterrey of Mexico in the Fifa Club World Cup, despite not having all his players present.

The Red Devils got over the first hurdle in the tournament by clinching a 1-0 victory over the Mexican outfit after Mohamed Hany’s goal proved the difference in the preliminary round.

With the result, Ahly advance to the semi-finals where they will face Brazilian side Palmeiras at the Al Nahyan Stadium on Tuesday evening as they look to reach the final.

Mosimane, who recently tested positive for Covid-19, praised his side for coming out on top against a side that had a fully fit squad but bemoaned the number of casualties within his squad due to Covid-19, injuries and Afcon.

“The kind of players they have and the players they buy. Their budget is maybe 10 times ours, we played under difficult conditions missing seven starting players,” Mosimane told Fifa’s official website.

“Then we lost two players with injuries. We had to adjust and play Afsha in midfield with Dieng instead of his normal position in attack.

“My main analyst, who is the guy who dissects the teams we play against, was down with Covid and I was down with Covid, too. But football is beautiful.”