Lamine N’Diaye hails USM Alger first-leg win as Moatamed Gamal keeps Zamalek’s title hopes alive

USM Alger coach Lamine N’Diaye says his side are now one step away from lifting the 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup title after securing an important first-leg victory over Egypt’s Zamalek.

Zamalek coach Moatamed Gamal, however, insisted the tie is far from over and said his team will fight in the return leg in Cairo to turn the situation around and claim the continental crown.

USM Alger defeated Zamalek 1-0 in the first leg on Saturday at the 5 July Olympic Stadium.

Ahmed Khaldi scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot in added time, giving the Algerian side an important advantage ahead of the second leg in Egypt.

Speaking after the match, Gamal said his team still have every chance of winning the title despite the away defeat, adding that the return fixture will be a different contest.

“There is a first half that has ended in Algeria, and there is still another half in Cairo. We have strong motivation to make up for this and win the title. We had hoped at least to come away with a goalless draw,” Gamal said at the post-match press conference.

The Zamalek coach said his players produced a good tactical performance, especially defensively, and explained that the team had tried to use attacking transitions to reach the opposition goal.

“The players did what they had to do on the pitch. We defended well and had more chances to score by relying on transitions. We will fight until the last minute to win and claim the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup title,” he added.

Gamal also expressed confidence in his players’ ability to respond in the second leg, given their experience in continental competitions.

“Zamalek have big players and they are up to the responsibility. We will make every possible effort in the return leg to win and lift the continental title,” he said.

USM Alger coach Lamine N’Diaye, for his part, expressed his satisfaction with the victory, stressing that the most important thing in finals is to win, regardless of the level of performance on the day.

“The most important thing when playing finals is to win, whatever the performance. We must work to correct some technical aspects,” N’Diaye said during the press conference.

The Senegalese coach warned that the continental title has not yet been decided, despite beating a team with considerable experience in African competitions.

“We achieved an important victory against a big team with continental experience, but the title has not been decided yet,” he added.

N’Diaye said USM Alger will go into the second leg with great determination to protect their advantage and return from Egypt with the trophy.

“We are one match away from winning the title, and we will fight to return from Egypt with the cup,” he said.

The USM Alger coach also thanked his players and the supporters after the backing the team received during the match.

“Thank you to the players for the strong spirit they showed. I thank the supporters who were behind this victory,” N’Diaye said.