Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller hit back at suggestions that his side missed Percy Tau in their CAF Champions League clash on Saturday.
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The South African attacker missed the Red Devils' latest 3-1 victory over Stade d'Abidjan in the CAF Champions League. The 30-year-old is poised to sign for Qatari side Qatar SC and, as a consequence, was omitted from the matchday squad that travelled to West Africa.
After the match, Koller was asked whether the team struggled due to the absence of the Bafana Bafana star, and he refuted the suggestion.
"It is not like that. As I said, the team's level changed today due to the humidity and heat, and we faced difficulty in the first half because of this, and the pitch made it difficult for us to play, and the absence of Percy and Kahraba is not a decisive factor, especially since they have not participated regularly recently," the Swiss tactician said, as per Sports Lab.
While Tau did not play a part in Al Ahly's victory in Ivory Coast, Koller praised the team's ability to adapt to the unfamiliar conditions and ultimately secure the win.
"Our eyes were on the 3 points, as we said yesterday in the press conference, and we started the match well, but we wasted many opportunities, did not score goals, and conceded a goal," he added.
"We noticed the high heat and humidity and were affected by them because we were not used to this atmosphere.
"Before the match, we had to replace Akram due to injury, and between the halves, we also replaced Solia due to injury. Of course, before the match, we had more than one injury in the team, and the team list was not complete.
"I salute the team players for their wonderful effort, especially in the second half.
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"The opponent played better today than in the first leg in Cairo because they were on their home ground and accustomed to the atmosphere and the stadium. Although they scored two goals in the first leg, overall today their level was better."
