"Taking into consideration the absentees and injuries we had before the game, losing 1-0 away to Esperance is a good result," Youssef told Friday's post match press conference.

The Egyptian side almost escaped with a goalless draw but Esperance grabbed a slender advantage after Hamdi Al-Herbawi slotted home eight minutes from time.

"We will play a much more offensive game in Alexandria to overcome the deficit but it is still a difficult match for us," he added.

Esperance Coach Khaled Ben Yahia said that Ittihad's defensive strategies made his team's mission more difficult, predicting the second leg to be an easier encounter.

"Ittihad will come out attacking to make up for their first leg defeat, which will give us the chance to use the wide spaces in their defense," he said.

The second leg will be staged in Alexandria after two weeks.