 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 May 2000 Issue No. 482 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 May 2000 Issue No. 482
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Heritage Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Narrowing the gap
After trying and failing more than once, Zamalek finally broke the 10-point barrier that had separated it from front-runners Ahli. The turning point came on a day that saw Zamalek beat Misri 3-1 and Ahli draw scoreless with Ittihad. The results shaved off two points off Ahli's lead which it had held since the start of the second half of the season. While Ahli's eight-point cushion might still be comfortable enough -- there are only seven matches left -- another league victory for the club that has won six titles in a row is no longer a foregone conclusion.Zamalek's win against Misri of Port Said, one of the better matches played in this Click-GSM-sponsored season, gave the perennial second-place finishers hope for something better this year. Striker Abdel-Halim Ali opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a shot too close to be missed. Sami El-Shishini headed from close range to make it 2-0 at the half. But the outcome could have been much different had Misri's new-look lineup, which included several Ahli and Zamalek veterans, capitalised on some easy chances that came its way.
In the second half, Ismail Kolibaly, a Mali import, rose high to meet a pinpoint cross, heading in Zamalek's third goal. Misri's lone strike came in the final minute when Ibrahim El-Masry rounded off a series of Misri passes that drew circles around Zamalek's defence.
With 40 points, Zamalek are within striking distance of Ahli while Misri remains at 23 points.
"I am quite satisfied with my players' performance in this match," Otto Pfister, Zamalek's German coach, said. However, he refused to make any predictions on his team's chances of winning the title. "I don't care about it," Pfister claimed, saying he didn't even bother to watch Ahli and Ittihad nor did he bother to ask how it turned out.
The way it ended, though, would surely have made Pfister a happy man. The 0-0 draw in Alexandria made Ahli suddenly vulnerable and the situation for the club could turn absolutely dire if two upcoming away matches against Misri and Ismaili do not end up in its favour.
By and large, Ittihad's players had the upper hand and wasted a number of decent scoring opportunities as goalkeeper Issam El-Hadary was as stoic as ever. Second half action was confined to one sole incident, a potential penalty kick for Ahli that was not awarded, when Mohamed Farouk was clearly pushed. Instead, it was Farouk who was shown a yellow card for what the referee believed to be feigning a foul. The draw gave Ahli 48 points and Ittihad 27.
Ahli's German coach Reiner Tsobil was not too upset with the away point. "I cannot say we were the best since most of the players were out of form for unknown reasons," Tsobil said, adding he was quite satisfied with the result. "Ittihad played a very good match and wasted some scoring opportunities which makes me satisfied with the point we got today," Tsobil said.
In other scores, Ismaili, fresh from its 8-0 rout of Sudan's Hay Al-Arab in the African Confederation Cup, beat Mansoura 2-1 in Mansoura. Mohamed Barakat opened the scoring for Ismaili in the 10th minute. Mohamed Mahmoud levelled in the 73th minute through a brilliant header. Mohamed Homos scored the winner at almost the stroke of full-time, raising his team's record to 35 points. Mansoura remained as is with 24 points.
Maadin blanked Aluminium 3-0 away from home, the Arab Contractors won for the second consecutive time, beating Sharqiya 2-0, Suez played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Canal and Kouroum and Dina played to a scoreless draw.
