First among Arabs
Zamalek are on top of the Arab world after winning the regional club championship. Inas Mazhar looks at the new No 1
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Zamalek's Tarek El-Said used his considerable dribbling skills to confound Kuwait players while his teammate, Hazem Imam, top, lifted the Arab trophy aloft for all to see
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Zamalek have emerged as the best Arab football side after defeating the Kuwaiti club Kuwait 2-1 in the final of the Arab club championship held in Cairo on Sunday.
Despite Zamalek's winning history in Africa and the Middle East, this was surprisingly their first Arab crown, won after an exhausting two- week period in which 10 of the strongest Arab teams locked horns.
And it was the first title of any kind for Zamalek's new head coach, Vingada of Portugal, who took over just this month.
In addition to the cup, named after the late Saudi Prince Faisal, Zamalek collected $50,000 in prize money for finishing first.
In Cairo Stadium, Zamalek dominated most of the game, a sharp turnaround from three days earlier when Kuwait trumped Zamalek 3-1 in a group qualifier. The game then was relatively meaningless for Zamalek as they had already qualified for the semi-finals. But the defeat left a bitter taste nevertheless and most observers believed a rematch, this time in the final, would be highly appropriate.
The first half saw the Egyptian national league champions run Kuwait ragged, roaming at will on the left side where cross passes proved extremely dangerous. One such pass, from captain Hazem Imam to defender Ahmed Saleh in the 21st minute, broke the ice as Saleh coolly slipped the ball past the keeper.
Substitute and oddly enough, another back, this time Mahmoud Mahmoud, made it 2-0 after rising unchallenged to head in 12 minutes into the second half.
Tensions heightened as two brawls emptied the benches of both teams. No player was flashed the red card although Zamalek's assistant coach Mahmoud El-Khawaga was asked to leave the immediate vicinity for objecting to the referee's decisions.
Three minutes before time, Oliveria, one of three Brazilians on the Kuwait squad, pulled one back for his team by scoring one of the tournament's finest goals. He slammed the ball home on the fly after taking a header from Brazilian colleague Somalia Andersson.
Following the game, Zamalek's former defender Hisham Yakan said he was glad to win something with Zamalek as an assistant coach, not as a player, for a change. "It was a tough and hectic competition," Yakan said. "We played six matches in 14 days. The players were exhausted but were keen to end the tournament on a winning note."
Medhat Abdel-Sabour, the team's administrative manager, said he was pleased because Zamalek had reconciled with their supporters after falling out of both the FA Cup and African Championship in the span of a week.
Zamalek's defender Beshir El-Tabei was named the best player in the tournament. Kuwait's Andersson was top scorer with four goals. Zamalek also won a fair play award while Iraq and Kuwait received honourable mentions for their attendance and sportsmanship. Egypt's Enppi, which co-hosted the event along with Zamalek but which failed to make it to the semis, was presented with another sportsmanship award.
