Half and half not
The first-half pace of Ahli and Zamalek was frenetic; the second anything but. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reports on the derby plus Zamalek's super encounter tomorrow
Zamalek hope to win their third Super Cup, and thus keep the trophy permanently, when they meet Wedad of Morocco tomorrow in Cairo. Zamalek, African League champions, could retain the cup forever after they beat Egypt's Ahli 1-0 in Johannesburg in 1994 and the Arab Contractors, also of Egypt, on penalty shots in Cairo in 1997. Their only black spot in the one-game event was a 2-0 loss in Accra to Ghana's Hearts of Oak in 2001 when Zamalek were champions of the Cup Winners Cup.
Morale is high on the team after their 2-2 draw with Ahli last week. Besides playing with a depleted roster, Zamalek also made up somewhat for their crushing 6-1 loss the last time the two sides met.
Still, Ahli maintained their top spot in the league, eight points ahead of Zamalek. Zamalek have a game in hand.
For Thursday's game, Zamalek were without the services of five key players. Hazem Emam, Walid Salah Abdel-Latif and Mohamed Abul- Ela were out with injuries while twins Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan and Brazilian coach Capral have been at odds for the past month after Capral benched them for what he perceived to be dissent.
Things have since settled down at the club and the hatchet has been buried. The twins are back in training but Capral has preferred they exercise alone for better fitness. Their participation in tomorrow's match is questionable.
All four goals of the famed derby were scored in the first half. Zamalek took the lead twice, 1-0 and 2-1, only for Ahli to claw their way back each time.
Zamalek were noticeably fast on the attack, especially with their long balls on the flanks. The club's stalwart defender, Medhat Abdel-Hadi, put his team in the lead in the sixth minute when he was left to run upfield a good 30 metres before firing into the lower left side of goal.
In the 13th minute, the league's top scorer, Ahmed Belal, jinxed his way to goal and, as a result, was brought down in the area. Ahli midfielder Mohamed Gouda easily converted.
Mohamed Abdel-Wahed shot Zamalek back into the lead after his shot, almost a replica of Abdel-Hadi's, split the Ahli defence. But Sayed Abdel-Hafiz wasted little time in equalising from outside the area.
The half also saw its share of missed chances, mostly by Ahli. Abdel- Hadi denied two sure goals by Hossam Ghali and Belal when they were yards away from goal while Ahli's Gilberto of Angola rued an easy volley wasted in front of goal.
In the second half, it appeared as if the fuel of both teams had been spent. Zamalek goalkeeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed denied Abdel-Hafiz twice but that would be all the action the teams could muster for the rest of the way.
Ahli and Zamalek have now met 90 times. Ahli have won 30 of the encounters and Zamalek 21. There have been 39 draws
