Zamalek climbed to the summit of the Egyptian Premier League following a 2-1 triumph against ZED FC in the 19th round at Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday.
Zamalek climbed to the summit of the Egyptian Premier League following a 2-1 triumph against ZED FC in the 19th round at Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday.
The hosts imposed themselves early and almost struck inside five minutes, but Mohamed Ismail’s long-range attempt was comfortably handled by ZED goalkeeper Ali Lotfi.
Abdalla El-Said then tried his luck from outside the penalty area, forcing Lotfi to turn the ball behind for a corner.
The opener arrived in the 22nd minute when Brazilian winger Juan Bezerra received a pass from Nasser Mansi, drove into the box, and sent a low effort into the far corner to give Zamalek the lead.
ZED threatened before the interval, with Mostafa Saad seeing his shot from inside the area denied by Zamalek keeper El Mahdi Soliman in the 40th minute.
After the restart, Zamalek continued to press and nearly doubled their advantage in the 65th minute when Mansi’s strike rattled the crossbar.
Mahmoud Saber tested Soliman with a powerful drive, but the goalkeeper stood firm to preserve the advantage.
The equaliser came in the 74th minute as Raafat Khalil brought the ball under control inside the area and fired home to bring the visitors level.
The home side regained the lead seven minutes from time. Ahmed Rabie curled a precise shot into the bottom corner in the 83rd minute to secure all three points.
The result marked Zamalek’s sixth consecutive victory and lifted them to 37 points, drawing level with Pyramids FC, who beat Ghazl El-Mahalla 3-1 on the same day. Defending champions Ahly sit third with 36 points.
Ceramica Cleopatra, who had spent much of the season at the top, slipped to fourth on 36 points after being held to a 1-1 draw by Ismaily.
Under the current competition system, the top seven teams move into a deciding mini-league to determine the champions, while the remaining 14 sides compete separately to establish the four relegated clubs.
Zamalek will next meet Pyramids FC in a 20th-round encounter on Sunday, a fixture that could significantly influence the direction of the title race.
