Ahly's Dutch coach Martin Jol was happy with his team's performance against Smouha in the Egypt Cup quarter-finals though he lamented that the Reds would not have a chance to rest ahead of Thursday's semi-final against Enppi.
The Egyptian champions, Ahly, reached Egypt's secondary domestic competition semi-final after beating Smouha 1-0 on Monday.
"Ahly's battery was recharged after the recent champions league victory over Wydad Casablanca in Rabat on Wednesday," Jol said in the press conference after the match.
"We started the game against Smouha strongly thanks to our efforts in Morocco and we quickly controlled the game-- achieving our target of reaching the next round," he added.
Against Enppi, Ahly, who recently won their 38th league title, will have no other choice but to win to continue their campaign towards the domestic double successfully.
"We should play with the same spirit against Enppi to win and please our fans," Jol explained.
"Playing too many matches in a limited time is a difficult issue in Egypt.
"You play a lot of matches without rest and the fans ask for outstanding performances, but the players are not machines," the former Tottenham coach concluded.
