Al Ahly were held to a 1-1 draw against Zamalek SC in the 21st fixture of the Egyptian Premier League.
Salah Mohsen gave us the lead in the 73rd minute of the game after dribbling past Mohamed Awad, Zamalek’s goalkeeper. However, the Red Eagles’ lead didn’t last long, as Ferjani Sassi, Zamalek’s midfielder, was able to equalize the result in the 79th minute of the game.
First Half
The current title-holders, Al Ahly, started the first half of the encounter with high intensity to take the early lead but were faced by Zamalek’s high press.
It was not until the third minute when Sherif managed to make his first appearance in the game after receiving the ball in the opposition’s final third. However, his shot failed to find the net.
In the 20th minute of the game, El Shenawy made a brilliant double save, as he pushed Shikabala’s ball away from the net before denying Achraf Bencharki from scoring the opening goal.
The Reds had a crucial chance in the 33rd minute of the first half when Sherif passed by Mahmoud El Wensh, the opposition’s defender, and passed the ball to El Shahat who shot it next to the post.
The final minutes of the first half passed by with both teams failing to take the lead as Amin Omar, the game’s referee, blew his half-time whistle.
Second Half
Mosimane used his bench in the early minutes of the second half when he replaced El Shahat with Salah Mohsen.
The Red Eagles were about to take the lead after five minutes from the start of the second half when Afsha’s pass found Sherif whose attempt was saved by Awad.
In the 73rd minute of the encounter, Salah Mohsen rose up to the occasion as he passed by Awad to score the opening goal of the game.
Mosimane once again used his bench in the 78th minute of the game, replacing Taher Mohamed Taher and Mohamed Sherif with Walid Soliman and Marwan Mohsen.
A few minutes later, Ferjani Sassi, Zamalek’s midfielder, was able to equalize the result after his shot found the net.
Both teams were looking to win the game in the final minutes but the defenders stood their ground. The referee’s final whistle came to announce a draw at Cairo International Stadium.
Match Sheet
Venue: Cairo International Stadium
Occasion: 21st Fixture of the Egyptian Premier League
Referee: Amin Omar
Al Ahly's Starting Line-up: Mohamed El Shenawy, Mohamed Hany, Badr Benoun, Ramy Rabia, Ayman Ashraf, Amr El Soulia, Aliou Dieng, Mohamed Magdy Afsha, Hussein El Shahat, Taher Mohamed Taher, and Mohamed Sherif.
Subs:
Ali Lotfy – Mahmoud Wahid – Walid Soliman – Salah Mohsen – Yasser Ibrahim – Akram Tawfik – Kahraba – Marwan Mohsen – Walter Bwalya
Substitutions:
Hussein El Shahat (Salah Mohsen) '64
Mohamed Sherif (Marwan Mohsen) '78
Taher Mohamed Taher (Walid Soliman) '78
Goals:
Salah Mohsen '73
Ferjani Sassi '79
Yellow Cards:
Ferjani Sassi (Zamalek SC) '22
Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly) '43
Mahmoud Alaa (Zamalek SC) '83
Points:
Al Ahly: 41 from 19 Games
Zamalek SC: 45 from 21 Games
