The Egyptian champions were lucky to escape with a goalless draw, having been outplayed by their Ivorian opponents throughout the game.

Ahli players' peace of mind was disturbed after a tiring journey to Abidjan. It took them 24 hours to arrive in Ivory Coast's largest city.

To rub salt into the wounds, Ahli found out that they will face ASEC on an artificial turf as Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny was being renovated.

Coach Jose is adamant Ahli would have played better if they didn't face those difficulties.

"Our exhausting trip to Abidjan made the match difficult for us," the Portuguese boss was quoted as saying by the club's official website.

"We could have played much better than we did but it was even harder to play on an artificial turf.

"However, although I hoped my team would get a win today, a draw is not bad.

"We will be looking forward now to our next Champions League encounter against Dynamos Harare," he added.