"Any analyst will definitely realize that Ahli are making progress," Al-Badri told the post-match conference.

"We've become a different team, a better team."

Al-Badri, who was Manuel Jose's assistant before taking over at Ahli following the Portuguese's departure, received a wave of criticism for his insistence to employ a 4-4-2 formation in pre-season friendlies.

Ahli's defense was vulnerable against Celtic as neither Wael Gomaa nor Mohamed Samir, the two central defenders, kept the Scottish giants' strikers at bay.

"All the goals we conceded were from simple mistakes but it is a good experience for us," Al-Badri added.

"The main thing for us in this tournament is to learn from playing against teams like Celtic."

The Egyptian champions failed in their first test under Al-Badri's guidance, losing to cup winners Harras Hodoud 2-0 in the Super Cup on Tuesday.

They will face Spanish and European champions Barcelona on Sunday in their final game of the Wembley Cup.