Portuguese coach José Peseiro, the head coach of Zamalek, expressed his sadness over the draw against ZED in the Nile Egyptian League.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Peseiro said:
"I believe today's match was Zamalek’s best performance since I took charge. We missed many chances, while the opponent had only one opportunity and scored from it."
He continued:
"I am happy that the players are getting used to our playing style. However, Zamalek had a clear penalty today that was not awarded. There were also two penalties in the Petrojet and Al Ahly matches that were not given. Why did the VAR referee not see our penalty today, just as he saw the offside in our disallowed goal?"
The coach added:
"I am sad about the draw, but I am happy with the players’ performance. We work every day to improve the players’ quality. Everyone shares the responsibility, but Zamalek cannot accept repeated referee mistakes, ignoring clear penalties in every game. If VAR had awarded these penalties, we would have gained six extra points. We do not want help from anyone, just fair decisions."
Peseiro also expressed his negative feelings over the absence of fans:
"I am sad that our supporters were not present today because they always stand by the team. Despite not winning, Zamalek is on the right track. We created many chances and deserved to win. I do not want VAR to favor us; I just want the correct decisions. All the players are upset about dropping two points."
He further commented on the impact of the draw:
"It is natural that losing two points affects our chances in the league. The unawarded penalty was clear for everyone. My team played very good football against ZED."
The Zamalek coach concluded:
"We played today with a 3-4-3 formation and executed it well. ZED scored a goal they did not deserve, unlike Petrojet, who created chances against us, and Al Ahly, who had two opportunities. My team created many chances that could have secured the win. The penalties that were not given to us were clear to everyone. From tomorrow, I will work on developing my team and correcting mistakes."
Zamalek and ZED drew 1-1 in their match at Cairo International Stadium as part of the 16th round of the Nile Egyptian League. With this result, Zamalek's tally rises to 29 points, remaining third, while ZED reaches 20 points, ranking 10th.
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