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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Zamalek looking down
An injury time goal pushed Zamalek to the top of the league football table, the first time the club has been at that vantage point since the start of the season 10 weeks ago.
The famed club eked out a 2-1 win over Mansoura in Cairo Stadium in a match highlighted more by the resignation of Zamalek coach Mahmoud Abu Regela. However, Abu Regela's request to quit, made immediately following the match and after what he said was constant criticism by club members of his performance, was turned down by management.
The match itself was not as dramatic as the events that followed. After a sterile and scoreless first half, Mansoura, against all the odds, opened the scoring in the 70th minute when midfielder Tamer Abdel-Hamid broke loose following a nifty give-and-go with Ibrahim Hassan.
Zamalek levelled eight minutes later through a header by Abdel-Latif El-Domani following a well executed cross by substitute Osama Nabeeh. The winner came in the 93rd minute when Khaled El-Ghandour, who had not found the net in nine months, found himself all alone on the left flank and calmly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper to give his team a first place position in the standings -- with 16 points overall from eight matches. Mansoura, left to ponder what might have been, remained at the lower rung with just five points.
Defending champions Ahli, returning to league play following a 60-day hiatus, had little trouble in disposing of newly promoted Maadin 2-0. Both goals were scored from penalty kicks, one in each half, by star striker Hossam Hassan, marking his return following a five-month layoff due to an injured spine which required surgery in Germany. Following a lacklustre first 30 minutes, Hassan was adjudged to have been brought down in the penalty box though television replays indicate the infraction might have been slightly outside. Hassan took the spot kick, a rarity for him, netting for the first time since scoring twice against Croatia in a friendly in June. The second penalty, taken in the middle of the second half when junior sensation Mohamed Farouk was also tripped up, was a carbon copy of Hassan's first penalty, low and to the right of the keeper.
Despite the win, Ahli, now in fourth place with 12 points, was far from its best -- the players perhaps unable to put behind them their 1-0 loss to Raja of Morocco in last week's African club championship clash. The win gave Ahli its fourth victory in as many games, with five matches pending due to the club's commitment in Arab and African cup tournaments. Maadin remained on hold with 10 points.
In other games, the Arab Contractors scored one of the biggest upsets of the season, snatching a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Ismaili -- the Contractors' first victory over Ismaili in the league in 11 years. Ali Ashour netted the lone goal, a penalty kick, moments before the end. Ismaili's Emad El-Nahas and Mohamed Homos were both shown the red card as tempers flared.
The defeat, coupled with other "unnamed reasons", drove Ismaili's Brazilian coach, Jose Vierra, to submit his resignation, which unlike Abu Regela's case, was accepted. According to Vierra's contract, he will be obliged to pay the club a $36,000 fine.
Ismaili, attacking vigorously from the start, constantly threatened to score as the Contractors opted for a more defensive posture and the occasional counter-attack. In the second half Ismaili's brilliant but mercurial striker, Mohamed Abu Greisha, almost put his side ahead but missed a penalty kick. The result left Ismaili in second place with 14 points, while the Contractors leapfrogged to 10 points.
Kouroum of Alexandria hosted Sharqia and won 2-0. Goalscorers were Ihab Fikry in the 18th minute and Khamees Gaafar in the 63rd minute through a penalty kick. Kouroum now has 11 points, Sharqia eight.
On the same day, Suez and Ittihad of Alexandria played to a scoreless draw. Ittihad failed to capitalise on what must have been a beleaguered Suez, who were playing without a coach after Mohsen Khalifa's resignation last week. Ittihad's 11 points put them two points above Suez.
