The military side won the first trophy in their history after defeating ENPPI 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to claim the cup title on Sunday.

"Jose called me yesterday and asked me to do him a favor by winning the cup," the ecstatic Al-Ashri told Modern Sport after the game.

Portuguese coach Jose, who is considered the best coach in Ahli's history, does not enjoy the best of relationships with fellow managers due to his fiery temper.

But that was not case with Al-Ashri, who made no secret of his admiration for Jose and stated more than once that he wished to learn from the 62-year-old.

Hodoud were the ones who eliminated Ahli from the cup, beating them 1-0 in the competition's round of 16.

Tense Match

Al-Ashri admitted that Hodoud were not at their best during the cup final at Cairo Stadium.

"In such tense matches teams become very cautious, that's why the game was not entertaining," he said.

"My players were nervous because it was the first final in their career. They couldn't sleep yesterday."