A superb volley from attacking midfielder Youssef 'Obama' Ibrahim gave Zamalek a 1-0 victory over the previously unbeaten Gouna and lifted them to the top of the Egyptian Premier League on Tuesday.

Nicknamed after the former US president, Ibrahim scored what proved to be the winner early on with a brilliant piece of skill.

Midfielder Emam Ashour lifted the ball over two defenders and into the path of Ibrahim, who turned and neatly controlled it before hitting an unstoppable left-foot volley from 25 meters into the far corner of the net.  

Zamalek spurned a flurry of goal-scoring chances that would have killed off the game but Gouna barely put up a fight, losing for the first time in eight matches to drop to third with 15 points.

The White Knights' fifth straight win put them on top on 19 points, two ahead of defending champions and Cairo foes Ahly, who were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by top-flight debutants National Bank of Egypt (NBE) on Sunday.

Bright start

Zamalek made a bright start, taking the lead after 10 minutes via Ibrahim's cracker before exploiting huge gaps in Gouna's backline to launch some devastating counter attacks.

Winger Ahmed Zizo hit straight at the keeper when played clean through on goal and Moroccan forward Achraf Bencharki, playing in an unfamiliar number nine role, missed the target with an angled shot following another one-on-one situation.

Gouna's solitary chance saw Karim El-Tayeb head just wide following a left-wing cross.

The second half was also a one-way traffic, with Zamalek missing further chances as Gouna failed to plug the holes in their defence.

Bencharki broke clear early in the second period but opted to send a square pass rather than shooting, with the lurking Zizo mis-timing his run as the ball went astray.

Veteran winger Mahmoud Shikabala also went close with a curling shot from the edge of the area before Zamalek sat back in the closing stages to protect their slender advantage.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)