Dreams FC coach Abdul Karim Zito praised his side’s resilience after they held Egyptian giants Zamalek to a hard-fought 0-0 draw in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup semi-final in Cairo.The Ghanaian underdogs stood firm in the face of sustained pressure from the White Knights to take a credible result back to Kumasi for next weekend’s decisive second leg.”The return match will be more difficult because both teams will play offensively, and we must focus more in the next match,” Zito told CAF Online after the stalemate at the Cairo Stadium.##NAJAVA_MECA_8056169##Despite Zamalek dominating possession and creating the better chances, Dreams defended stoically to keep the five-time African champions at bay.The visitors went close themselves through John Antwi’s powerful strike that was well blocked by Hossam Abdelmaguid, while Ibrahima Ndaye rattled the crossbar late on.Kenyan international Dennis Ng’ang’a resumes training after recovering from calf injuryZito dismissed suggestions that the absence of Zamalek’s suspended talisman Ahmed Zizou had influenced his game plan.”The absence of Ahmed Mustafa Zizou is not our responsibility, and our plan was clear whether Zizou played or not,” he added. “The player may participate in the return match in Ghana.”CAFCC: Zamalek held by Dreams FC in CairoDreams will be favorites to reach the final on away goals if they can shut out Zamalek again in Kumasi, having left the Egyptian capital with a valuable clean sheet despite being second-best for large periods.While Zamalek coach Jose Gomes will be concerned by his side’s toothless display in front of goal, the onus is now on the White Knights to break down the resilient Dreams defense in return to keep their continental hopes alive.
