Krunoslav Jurčić: "The match against Djoliba was the toughest in coaching career"

Photo Credit: Pyramids FC

Croatian coach Krunoslav Jurčić, head coach of Pyramids FC, stated that he is not a coach who seeks excuses. However, he confirmed that the CAF Champions League match against Djoliba on Sunday was the toughest in his coaching career due to the challenging circumstances the team faced in the past few days.

Pyramids drew 0-0 with Mali's Djoliba at the Stade 26 Mars in Bamako during the second round of play in Group D. The result raised their tally to 4 points placing them at the top of the group, tied with ES Tunis on points but ahead on goal difference.

In the post-match press conference, Jurčić explained that the team endured difficult days since their league match against Al Masry up until the clash with Djoliba. Nearly 10 key players were unavailable due to various injuries and severe flu and most of the squad trained only once in the days leading up to the game.

He emphasized that the severe shortage of players forced him to field some players despite their poor condition. Several, including Mohamed Hamdy and Mohamed Shiibi, had a temperature of 38°C and were suffering from severe flu. Both were substituted as they couldn’t continue while players like Ahmed Fathy and Karim Hafez were also fielded despite similar health issues. Furthermore, Sherif Ekramy, Ramadan Sobhi, Marwan Hamdy and Walid El Karti all played while still recovering from the flu.

The coach pointed out that the team also missed the services of Ibrahim Adel and Ahmed El-Shennawy due to illness along with Youssef Obama due to injury. These circumstances left no room for selection flexibility making the draw and securing a point in Mali an excellent outcome under such difficult conditions.

Jurčić concluded by noting that the team now has a few days to prepare for their third-round match against ES Tunis. They will travel directly to Tunisia hoping the players recover fully in time for this crucial encounter.