Al Ahly beat Zamalek to dominate Cairo Derby
Cairo giants Al Ahly scored in each half to claim a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Zamalek at the Cairo International Stadium, sealing the bragging rights in a thrilling Cairo Derby, that was played on Sunday October 11th as a part of Egyptian Premier League Matchday 6.
Defender Mohamed Hany opened the score for the Red Devils after 39 minutes when he unleashed a powerful long-range strike from outside the box to deceive Zamalek’s goalkeeper, El Mahdi Soliman, and give his side the lead at the break.
Despite Zamalek having the upper hand after the break as they looked for the equalizer, they couldn’t find the net past Al Ahly goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who produced a spectacular save to deny Ahmed Sherif’s header from close range to preserve his side’s lead.
Algerian substitute Monsef Bakrar sealed the victory for Al Ahly after 80 minutes when he went round his marker and unleashed a low strike that once again beat Soliman to double his side’s lead and clinically end Zamalek hopes of a late comeback. It was Bakrar’s first goal since joining Al Ahly from Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb last summer.
It was a night to celebrate for Al Ahly’s Moroccan head coach Hussein Amoutta who claimed victory in his first derby, to set a good atmosphere with the Red Devils huge fan base.
The derby held no. 133 in Egyptian top tier since its induction in 1948-1949, with Al Ahly extending their domination to 53 wins, compared to Zamalek 29, while 51 games ended in a stalemate.
Al Ahly went temporarily in top of the 20-teams table raising their tally to 16 points, three more than rivals Zamalek who dropped to third place. Pyramids, who has a perfect record after five games take on fourth place Ceramica Cleopatra on Monday, wishing to retain the top spot.