Merreikh, Zamalek play to barren draw in Benghazi

Sudan’s Al Merrikh and Egypt’s Zamalek chalked their first points in Group D of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League after playing to a 0-0 draw at the Benina Martyrs International Stadium in Benghazi, Libya.

Both sides started their campaign last weekend with identical 1-0 losses, but they managed to get one each on board after match day two.

On a hot afternoon in Benghazi, it was a closely contested tie, with Merreikh looking to make the most of their ‘home advantage”.

Zamalek defended well in the face of a spirited attack from Merreikh.

Goalkeeper Mohamed Awad had to be hawk-eyed and he made a neat save to deny Masinho in the 27th minute with a close opportunity, ensuring the spoils remained shared at the break.

In the second half, Merreikh kept their attacking front and Awad made another good save to deny Alex Da Silva 10 minutes after the restart.

Late on in the game, with 12 minutes left on the clock, Awad made another brilliant save, putting a strong right palm to punch away an overhead kick from Ajab Ramadan.

None of the two sides could land a goal as they shared a barren stalemate, a result that leaves them occupying the bottom two slots in the group.