‘Unacceptable’: Belouizdad coach reacts to crushing Al Ahly defeat

Belouizdad head coach Abdelkader Amrani did not hold back after his team’s crushing 6-1 defeat to Al Ahly in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League group stage.

The 6-1 defeat at the hands of Al Ahly of Egypt on Sunday, which is the heaviest of the group stage so far, left Omrani deeply frustrated and apologetic to Belouizdad’s fans.

“This is the worst match I’ve ever coached,” Amrani declared in the post-match press conference.

“The second half, in particular, was one-sided, and the defensive mistakes we made were unacceptable at this level. I take full responsibility for this humiliating defeat, but the players must also share the blame.”

Belouizdad had taken an early lead but faltered soon after, with Al Ahly turning the tide to score six unanswered goals, including a hat-trick by Wissam Abou Ali.

Amrani highlighted how his players' lack of focus and composure after Al Ahly's equalizer in the first half led to the collapse.

“The timing of their first goal deflated our morale, and we completely lost our rhythm in the second half,” he admitted.

“What makes it worse is that many of Al Ahly's goals came from our defensive errors, mistakes that we simply cannot afford to make in a competition of this caliber.”

Omrani was particularly critical of his team’s inability to handle pressure, noting, “We’ve played against tough opponents like Pyramids and Zamalek before and never suffered a loss of this magnitude.

"Today, our performance was lackluster, and we didn’t show the fight required to compete against a powerhouse like Al Ahly.”

While acknowledging the setback, Amrani extended an apology to Belouizdad’s fans. “I am deeply sorry to our supporters for this embarrassing result. They deserved better, and we must work harder to regain their trust.”

Despite the heavy defeat, the coach refrained from imposing penalties on his players, choosing instead to focus on learning from the experience.

“In football, defeats are inevitable, but we cannot accept such results. Moving forward, we must rebuild our confidence and prepare for the return leg in Algeria.”

With this loss, Belouizdad remains in third place in Group C, while Al Ahly moved to the top with seven points.

Omrani emphasized the need for a stronger performance in the second half of the group stage. “We cannot dwell on this; we must respond with determination and prove that we belong at this level.”