CAIRO: Zamalek trainer Moemen Soliman defended the coaching staff's decision to field several youth players in the 1-0 defeat to Ismaili on Sunday.

Hazem Emam jr., Ahmed Ibrahim, Alaa Ali and Hossam Arafat all started the game, just few weeks after being promoted from the club's under 21 squad.

An Abdallah Shahat first half strike was enough to earn Ismaili the crucial win in Cairo.

"We have absentees in every department, that's why we had no other choice but to count on our youngsters," Soliman was quoted as saying by Zamalek's official website.

The youngsters were given the chance after the board's decision to suspend Gamal Hamza, Mohamed Aboul-Ella - who was later pardoned - as well as the transfer listed pair of Wissem Abdi and Ricardo.

"We will not backtrack on our disciplinary decisions, and I think the youngsters did fairly well. We can't blame any of them for the loss."

Soliman also gave the Dervishes credit for their solid performance, as they could have won the game by a larger margin.

"Ismaili had the upper hand for most of the game, and they deserve the win.

"Nonetheless, we were really surprised by our players' poor display. The performance matched neither their capabilities nor their experience," added Soliman.