Al-Ahly closes in on Egypt Cup title

By Mohamed Mahmoud in Cairo
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-05-27

[KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images] Al-Ahly took a step closer to winning the Egypt Cup.

Al-Ahly's 3-1 win against Zamalek in an Egypt Cup match on Wednesday (May 26th) signaled an end to the fierce rivalry between the teams that continued throughout one of most competitive seasons in the past five years.

With the win, Al-Ahly qualifies for the quarterfinals of the Egypt Cup, where it will face Petrojet next Sunday. The team could win its second title this season after winning the Premier League. Zamalek begins a vacation after losing hope of winning a tournament this season.

Sheriff Abdel Fadil scored for Al-Ahly during the 17th minute, Mohamed Fadl scored during the 38th minute and Mohamed Abu Trika scored in minute 52. Hussein Yasser Al-Mohammadi scored for Zamalek in the first minute.

Zamalek’s strategy was aggressive, using two forwards—Ahmed Jaafar and Ivorian Marcel Adecco who were backed up by midfielder Shikabala. However, it was unable to break through Al-Ahly's defense, which played with one forward, Mohamed Fadl, and relied on the two midfielders in its serious attack on the white team led by playmaker Mohamed Abu Trika and support player Ahmed Hassan, creating a balance between Al-Ahly's offensive and defensive lines.

In a press conference after the match, Al-Ahly’s coach Alaa Mayhoub said Zamalek played a good match in spite of its being below the level it played recently, after Al-Ahly took full control of the game.

"We changed the manner of play, pushing with Hossam Ashour in front of our team’s four-person defense which gave us numerical density in the midfield and contributed to our complete control over the events of the game," he said.

The win earned Al-Ahly technical manager Hossam Al-Badri new respect among Egyptian football fans because of his technical mastery amidst the absence of a number of his team’s influential players, particularly Emad Metab. During the season, fans expressed doubts about his ability to lead the team.

After the game, Al-Ahly fans celebrated in their unique fashion outside Cairo Stadium in Nasr city. The streets leading to Saleh Salem Street were closed as fans chanted victory slogans and the names of Al-Ahly players while raising red flags and photos of the Premier League shield and the Egyptian Cup.

As for Zamalek fans, they started leaving the stadium 75 minutes into the game.

"Al-Ahly could have earned more than three, and the players' goal was to entertain the fans. This was a good ending to the marathon competition between Al-Ahly and Zamalek," said Ahmad Ghazali, 32.

Al-Ahly won the Egyptian Premier League tournament in May with 65 points while Zamalek finished second with 55 points.

Zamalek and Al-Ahly could meet again in the next Egyptian Super Cup if Al-Ahly wins the Egyptian Cup tournament. The Egyptian Super Game is scheduled for late July.

With its victory over Zamalek, Al-Ahly joins Petrojet, ENPPI Club and El-Entag El-Harby in the quarterfinals. Ismaily, Al-Mokawloon Al-Arab, Al-Ittihad Al-Sakndary and Haras El-Hoddood reserved their place in the quarterfinals earlier this week.

Bookmarking

Please comment on this article so that we can improve the experience of viewing this website.