Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane has expressed his delight at his side’s performance during a difficult Egyptian Premier League clash with Al Mokawloon Al Arab SC this past weekend.

The Red Eagles continued their perfect start to the season after securing their fourth consecutive league win following their narrow 1-0 win over Arab Contractors thanks to a Hamdi Fathi header.

Ahly remain at the summit of the league standings with 12 points after four games, while Al Mokawloon are placed 13th on the log with four points from four games.

Mosimane admits that their shaky performance against Al Mokawloon boiled down the players being away on national team duty during the international break.

“The whole team played two matches with their national teams. It is normal to drop a little bit in the performance but you always have to play your best players to win,” Mosimane told his club’s official website.

“I am happy to win this difficult game against a fresh team. Normally, you do not achieve easy wins after a big win in the derby against Zamalek.

“We did not have full energy but we dominated the match and had many chances.”

The Red Devils were reduced to 10 men late in the second half when Hamdy Fathy received a red card after he brought down Al Mokawloon’s striker, who would’ve made his way through on goal with just Mohammed El Shenawy to beat.

“We will be losing an important player. He is a multi-functional player, who can play in several positions. But we cannot make excuses as we have other players,” Mosimane added.

Mosimane’s side will be hoping to claim their fifth straight win in the league when they take on fourth-placed Ghazl El-Mahalla on Monday, 22 November.