Portuguese Al Ahly coach Paulo Sousa described his team's match against Al Wasl as a 'derby between two big teams' following their 1-1 draw on Wednesday in the 18th round of the Professional League. Sousa stated at the post-match press conference that he feels proud to face a team of Al Wasl's caliber, noting that his players were not in the best physical condition due to injuries and illnesses, as well as the injury of player Sultan Adel in the first half. He said: 'We were looking for a better result, and despite the circumstances, the team showed clear superiority in the first half and could have scored the first goal.' Al Ahly's coach also touched on refereeing, believing that the local referee deserves more respect and is better than the foreign one in the league, although the match was officiated by Australian referee Sean Evans. He added: 'I don't think a foreign referee would be better than a local one in our league,' while at the same time criticizing what he called 'time-wasting' during the match.
