Zamalek's hopes of winning the African Champions League for the first time since 2002 were dealt a crushing blow after another lackluster performance saw TP Mazembe of the DR Congo hold them to a goalless draw in Alexandria on Sunday.

Striker Ahmed Ali wasted a first-half penalty and missed a sitter in the closing stages as a depleted Zamalek side could only collect a solitary point which does them no favours in their quest to add to their five continental titles.

They remain rooted to the bottom of Group A with four points, three behind joint leaders Mazembe and Congolese side Vita Club, who beat Al-Hilal of Sudan 2-1 earlier in the day, with two matches remaining.

They need to beat Vita Club at home and overcome Hilal on the road in their remaining two matches to ensure their progress to the last four regardless of other results.   

Three substitutes

Zamalek had to do with only three players on the bench after offloading a handful of players in the close season. Others were suspended, including pacy winger Hazem Emam who handed them the Egypt Cup title last week after netting a late winner against Smouha.

Mazembe tested Zamalek keeper Mohamed Abou-Gabal twice in the first seven minutes, with the 25-year-old, who replaced long-serving shot-stopper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed, thwarting a far-post effort from Salif Coulibaly before palming away a shot from Solomon Asante.

At the other end, Zamalek striker Khaled Qamar, who made his debut after joining from Ittihad El-Shorta, headed wide at the back post after being picked out unmarked following a right-wing cross but the hosts did little to trouble their opponents.

Unlike in recent games, in which their defence was often vulnerable, Zamalek's backline looked tight, with new arrivals Mohamed Koffi and Ahmed Dwidar providing depth in the heart of midfield.

However, their lack of spark upfront was evident, with their attacking midfielders relying on harmless long balls which Mazembe's defence easily dealt with.

Zamalek had a chance to break the deadlock after 18 minutes though when Ali, who partnered Qamar upfront, was tripped in the area as the referee pointed to the spot but his weak shot was easily saved by Mazembe keeper Robert Kidiaba.

The second half was a dour, slow-paced affair littered with too many errors on either side.

Zamalek's only outfield players on the bench, forward Youssef Ibrahim 'Obama' and versatile defender Yasser Ibrahim, were both introduced after the break but they barely made in impact, with Abou-Gabal and Kidiaba stealing the show with two impressive saves.

Abou-Gabal superbly tipped over a powerful drive from Asante and Kidiaba's sublime reflex save denied a goal-bound header from Qamar. Television replays suggested that the header might have crossed the goal-line.

Ahmed Ali was guilty of a glaring miss in the dying minutes when his free, close-range header missed the target with the goal at his mercy following a corner as Zamalek were left to rue his profligacy.

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