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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 -10 February 1999 Issue No. 415 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 -10 February 1999 Issue No. 415
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Book Fair Economy Opinion Culture Features Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Ahli-Zamalek margin maintained
By Abeer Anwar
The Ahli- Misri match in PortSaid photo: Medhat Abdel-Meguid Arch-rivals Ahli and Zamalek restarted their campaigns for the title this week with Ahli getting the upper hand. Ahli strengthened its position at the top of the league table by beating El-Masri 1-0 to the dismay of El-Masri players, coaches and fans. Although three of Ahli's key players were suffering from flu, Youssef Yaqoub managed to put the team in front in the 21st minute of the first-half. The El-Masri players seemed out of shape and unmotivated: attacking play was feeble and the team failed to exploit Ahli's less than full fitness. After the match, scuffles broke out among the frustrated fans, and El-Masri President Abdel-Wahab Kouta tendered his resignation.
Ahli coach Reiner Tsobel expressed happiness at the team's performance. "Although we are now seven points ahead of Zamalek and are well on our way towards winning the title for the sixth year running, nothing can be taken for granted. The players still have to do their best in coming matches to make our lead even greater," he said.
El-Masri coach Mohsen Saleh was disappointed with his team's performance and attributed this to the players' lack of confidence in the face of Ahli's formidable reputation and overwhelming pressure from the fans.
Zamalek beat Sharqia 1-0 in Cairo Stadium in a dull match. Both teams put in lacklustre performances with the only excitement coming in the 41st minute with Zamalek's Sami El-Shishini's wonderful goal. Although this is the fifth consecutive victory for Zamalek, the team appeared half-hearted and complacent. Zamalek coach Farouk Gaafar expressed concern as the team faces a difficult match next week against Ismaili. He blamed the team's poor showing on injury problems, particularly those of Tarek Mustafa and Ayman Abdel-Aziz.
Sharqia coach Anwar Salama was satisfied with his squad's performance. "The players were able to reach Zamalek's net several times but were unlucky not to score," he said.
Elsewhere, Mansoura beat Gazl El-Mahala 1-0 with a goal scored by Walid Salah in the 13th minute of the first-half, Ittihad drew with Baladiat El-Mahala 0-0, Aswan drew with Arab Contractors 1-1, and Qena beat Koroum 1-0 to jump to fifth place with 26 points. Ismaili put in a weak performance against Dina, drawing 1-1 to stay in fourth place with 30 points. Just before the match, Dina's giant goalkeeper, Mohamed Abdel-Monsef, signed a transfer deal to Zamalek for LE450,000.
