Al Ahly sporting director Sayed Abdelhafiz has reacted to the club's CAF Champions League Group A defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns.
Reigning African champions Al Ahly were humbled in their own backyard on Saturday evening when a late goal from Thapelo Morena, scored in the 85th-minute of the encounter, earned Sundowns a priceless 1-0 victory.
The result saw the South African side climb to the top of the Group A standings with seven points from three matches, while the Pitso Mosimane-led Egyptians slipped to third with one point from their opening two games.
Ahly sporting director Sayed Abdelhafiz has since played down the defeat and insisted that the record 10-time champions are still in control of their own fate in their pursuit of progressing to the next round.
"The group stage is about collecting points in order to qualify. The ball didn't want to go in today, but we still have four games and we can save ourselves," he told beIN Sport h/t KingFut. "The coming period won't be easy. We have difficult matches and we need to win them.
"This happens a lot in Africa. If we replay the match, we would score with all the chances we had. Last year in the same stadium, we drew with AS Vita Club, with the same scenario.
"The coming period is difficult, but we are the defending champions. We need to be fully focused and do our best to qualify. We have matches against Pharco in the league, a match against Al-Merrikh, and then we travel to South Africa to face Sundowns.
"This is football. We don't blame anyone but ourselves, and after we blame ourselves, we will focus on correcting our mistakes and achieving what is required of the group stage, which is to qualify.
"The main goal of the group stages is to qualify to the knockout stages. If we qualify as top of the group, it's a good thing, and if we qualify as the second, it's okay. In any case, we will face a strong team."