Zamalek confirmed their qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup group stage after completing a 7-0 aggregate triumph over Somalia’s Dekedaha on Friday.
Zamalek confirmed their qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup group stage after completing a 7-0 aggregate triumph over Somalia’s Dekedaha on Friday.
The Cairo giants had already secured a commanding 6-0 win in the opening leg, leaving little doubt about their progression.
In the return fixture, the White Knights managed a narrow 1-0 victory, facing only brief spells of resistance from the tournament newcomers.
The only goal of the second leg came through Tunisian forward Seifeddine Jaziri, who converted a penalty seven minutes before the interval. Despite some improvement in their organization and work rate, Dekedaha were unable to seriously trouble Zamalek’s backline.
Their limited attacking threat allowed the Egyptian side to manage the match comfortably without expending much energy.
Head coach Yannick Ferrera opted to make several changes to his lineup, resting key names after the decisive first encounter. He gave opportunities to Ahmed Sherif and Jaziri in attack, while midfielder Abdelhamid Maali returned to action following injury.
Mohamed El Sayed also started, featuring prominently in midfield until Ferrera made adjustments before the break.
Juan Bezerra replaced Sherif late in the first half, with Hossam Abdelmaguid, Mahmoud Bentayg, and Abdalla El-Saied later coming on to maintain control and manage minutes.
El Sayed had an opportunity to extend the lead midway through the second half, but his penalty attempt failed to find the net.
Dekedaha’s players, participating in the Confederation Cup for the first time, avoided the heavy defeat suffered in the first leg but still struggled to make an impact
Their only prior continental appearance came in the 2020 CAF Champions League, where they exited in the preliminary stage.
The Confederation of African Football confirmed that the group stage draws for both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup will be held on Monday, November 3, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Zamalek will now await their next opponents as they aim for another deep run in the competition.
