The Red Devils earned a vital 1-0 victory over Ismaily on the opening matchday of the new Egyptian Premier League season.
Summer-signing Shady Hussein was the difference as he scored the winning goal for Al Ahly just three minutes after coming on.
A tenacious Karim Fouad teed up Hussein inside the six-yard box, who tapped home Al Ahly’s only goal of the game and his first of the season.
Speaking after the win, Koller praised Karim Fouad for providing the assist and called for his players to improve their end product.
“We prepared well for the game, had more chances than Ismaily, and ultimately deserved the win,” Koller said at the press conference.
“They are a tough team and they also had some dangerous chances. I knew that our games against Ismaily have always been difficult in the past.
“The win is important because it gives players more confidence and we need that going forward because we can use it to our advantage and convert chances because today we missed so many opportunities.
“Karim Fouad has been exceptional in training and he is very quick. Ismaily’s fullbacks were pushing forward and left spaces behind and that’s why I decided to bring him on.
“We train every day and we need to work harder to reach the required level, and this will simply not happen overnight,” he added.
