Old is Gold: Al Ahly’s El Shahat turns the tables on Zamalek in Egyptian League

Al Ahly came from behind to defeat arch-rivals Zamalek 2-1 in the ninth round of the Egyptian Premier League on Monday at Cairo International Stadium, returning to winning ways and improving their position in the standings.

The defending champions now have 15 points from eight matches, two behind Zamalek, who have played one more game.

Veteran winger Hussein El Shahat came off the bench in the 69th minute and made an immediate impact.

He equalised with a powerful strike in the 71st minute, then earned a penalty just five minutes later, which Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” converted to seal the comeback.

Zamalek had opened the scoring in the 32nd minute from the spot, a decision contested by Al Ahly players. However, the Red Eagles dominated possession and chances after falling behind, while Zamalek adopted a defensive approach.

Al Ahly’s interim coach Emad El Nahas made several key substitutions. In addition to bringing on El Shahat, he introduced Ahmed Abdelkader and Aliou Dieng in place of Mohamed Sherif and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane. Later, Ahmed Reda and Omar Kamal replaced Achraf Bencharki and Trezeguet.

Substitute Omar Kamal missed a clear opportunity to extend Al Ahly’s lead during stoppage time, failing to convert a well-placed pass from Dieng.

With the victory, Al Ahly extended their dominance in league encounters against Zamalek, winning 51 of their 131 meetings. Zamalek have won 29 times, with 51 matches ending in draws.

Al Ahly's next fixture will be against Ismaillia Electricity in the 10th round of the Egyptian Premier League on Saturday, 4 October.