Al-Ahly players train hard

Mohammed Aboutrika a football player Cairo - Hossam al-Sayed Al-Ahly manager Hossam al-Badri set aside a whole portion of Saturday evening’s training session for the team to practice penalty shoots. Goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami blocked multiple shots as technical staff cheered him on, sources said.The practice was set up in preparation for a potential penalty shootout at the end of a match with Tunisian team al-Taraji. Ekrami also practiced blocking cross shots in an ecstatic atmosphere caused by his return to form. The goalie’s performance in the al-Ahli’s first-leg match with al-Taraji was severely criticised, latest reports suggest. The players also celebrated the birthdays of teammates Ahmed Fathy and Mohammed Aboutrika as the club’s football committee paid the team a special visit before they head off to play al-Taraji.Aboutrika had refused to celebrate his 34th birthday a few days ago, preferring to delay it so the team would celebrate both his and teammate Ahmed Fat-hy’s birthdays together. The rest of the players bought a large cake and the team enjoyed the event, insider sources said. Al-Badri had refused to call on a psychiatrist to treat the players’ stress, preferring to relieve the tension with parties and shared meals.