Zamalek head coach Jose Peseiro believes that his side did not deserve to lose to Stellenbosch FC in their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final match-up.
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Steve Barker’s charges caused a massive upset in the second leg of their continental encounter against the White Knights earlier this week, as the competition debutants eliminated the reigning champions following a 1-0 victory in Cairo, courtesy of a Sihle Nduli strike.
After leaving the DHL Stadium with a 0-0 draw, many expected the two-time tournament winners to complete their progression to the final four once the tie returned to the Egyptian capital. However, the Western Cape-based outfit had other ideas, becoming the first South African side to defeat Zamalek at home in the Confederation Cup.
After the game, Peseiro expressed his disappointment at being dumped out of the competition, claiming that his charges had ample opportunities to win the tie.
"I'm definitely sad to be out of the Confederation Cup. We lost to a team that only created one chance and managed to score," the Portuguese said in his post-match press conference, as per Kooora.
“Zamalek missed many chances, and Stellenbosch are excellent at set pieces. I know the players are sad, and we didn't deserve to be eliminated.
"We were better in the first half, but we had a problem with the final touch, and in the second half the team was affected after the opponent's goal.
"Ahmed Mostafa (Zizo) did not participate in the match, and everyone is concerned about the player's position and the reason for his absence. The 4-3-3 formation we adopted was behind Salah Musaddaq's exclusion, and I thought it was the most appropriate for the match.
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"We will fight in the league championship, and I don't blame any player for the goal that was scored against us. The players gave their all, and no one expected this ending."
