Great white hope
Zamalek did what it has never done before: beat giants Esperance in Tunisia. Mohamed El-Sayed sees how they did it
After a two-month hiatus, the Arab Champions League resumed with several encounters in the African Arab division of this first-year competition.
In Group A, Zamalek of Egypt practically ensured a third round berth in their group after defeating Tunisian powerhouse Esperance 2-1 in Al-Menzeh Stadium in Tunis. There was a time when beating Esperance, so-called "gold and blood", was a mission impossible for Egyptian sides. However, in the last two years the Tunisians have been dealt several embarrassing defeats at the hands of Egyptian opposition. Ismaili beat them 3-1 home and away in the African Champions League last year and Zamalek crushed them 3-0 in the first round of this competition.
Zamalek are now on top of their group with 10 points and still have an away fixture against Ittihad Beleida of Algeria and a home match with CS Sfaxien of Tunisia.
Zamalek's first ever away win over the Tunisian side was face-saving for Egyptian football after the embarrassing exit of the national team from the first round in the African Cup of Nations held on Tunisian turf.
Zamalek withstood an early onslaught from the home side, depending mainly on counter-attacks and free kicks. Fourteen minutes into the half, Tarek El- Said sent a volley into the danger zone to the unmarked Mahmoud Mahmoud who converted the ball into the Tunisian net for Zamalek's opener. Mahmoud was playing instead of back Wael El- Qabbani who had refused to join the team unless the White House board comply with his financial demands.
It did not take the Tunisians long to net the equaliser. Still fresh from their African Cup of Nations victory, Tunisia defender Radi Al-Ja'idi received a cross from the left side in the 15th minute and delivered a thumping header into the top corner of Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed's net. El-Sayed, who was caught napping, crashed with the left post in a vain attempt to clear the ball.
Twenty-five minutes after the restart, energetic Ahmed Samir, who came on for Imam, came face to face with the home side goalkeeper. International midfielder Jawhar Mnari had no alternative but to bring him down, leading to his dismissal and a free kick for Zamalek. Sameh Youssef made a deft placement with his right boot, firing Zamalek ahead again.
"We have overcome a major obstacle on our way to the title," Zamalek's Portuguese head coach Vingada said after the game. "I was so pleased with my players because they did exactly what I asked them to do concerning counter-attacks and free kicks."
Zamalek is due to meet Algerian Ittihad Beleida on 3 March in Algeria.
In the other group match, Tunisia's Sfaxien revived their hopes of qualifying for the next phase, beating Ittihad Beleida 1-0. Sfaxien are in third place with four points, two points behind countrymen Esperance. Ittihad Beleida are at the bottom with only two points.
In Group B, Ahli kept their hopes of qualifying for the next round afloat after edging to a 1-0 victory over countrymen Ismaili in Cairo. The precious win catapulted the Red Devils into second place along with Etoile de Sahel of Tunisia with five points each. Despite the defeat, Ismaili are still on top of the table with seven points.
Having suffered an unprecedented 4-0 defeat at the hands of Ismaili in the first round, the Reds were keen to avenge. The Dervishes seemed to be playing for a draw, using a line-up consisting mostly of juniors.
Ahli's Portuguese head coach Manuel Jose saw the game as a personal challenge; Ismaili were the main reason behind his sacking from Ahli two years ago when they snatched the title from Ahli after a historic 4-4 draw in Cairo Stadium.
The two teams did not give their usual high-quality performance. This, in addition to the absence of key players, made the teams resort to defence and the motto was safety first.
Ismaili's first place position allowed them to play calmer and they possessed the ball for most of the first half. Spurred on by their 60,000 fans, Ahli imposed their style on the visitors after the restart. In the 23rd minute the Reds were rewarded when Hadi Khashaba sent a volley to defender Ahmed El-Sayed who made a sky-high jump over Emad El-Nahhas, sending a powerful header into the Dervishes net. Goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi made an acrobatic leap to save the ball.
Following the match, Ahli fans toured the streets in celebration of the win.
"Now our chances of qualifying for the next round are better," said Hossam El-Badri, Jose's assistant. "Still, our encounter with Etoile de Sahel will be decisive because it will determine who continues in the championship."
In the other group match, Tunisian Etoile de Sahel beat Nasr Hussein-Dey of Algeria 2-0. The Tunisians are now tied with Ahli in second place with five points each, while the Algerians remained at four points. On 3 March, Ismaili will play Nasr Hussein- Dey in Algeria and Ahli will host Etoile in Cairo.
In the Asian Arab division of the competition, Hilal and Ahli of Saudi Arabia qualified from Group A. From Group B Talaba of Iraq and Ittihad of Saudi Arabia also qualified.
