(Photo courtesy of Zamalek official Twitter account)
Zamalek claimed an easy 2-0 win over Smouha in a league game at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab stadium on Monday.
Moroccan Forward Achraf Bencharki opened the scoring in the seventh minute, then Ahmed Fatouh doubled the lead in the 30th minute.
The White Knights had to play the game without many key players, given Midfielder Tarek Hamed and Defender Mahmoud Alaa testing positive of COVID-19 last week, and international Striker Mostafa Mohamed dropping from the squad after missing the team's training during this week.
Portuguese Coach Jaime Pacheco opted to keep classy Midfielder Ferjani Sassi and lively Winger Ahmed Sayed on the bench, introducing Emam Ashour and Mohamed Ounajem instead.
Zamalek started the game in style, with Achraf Bencharki scoring an early goal in the sixth minute, however, the referee disallowed the goal after the Moroccan forward was flagged by the assistant referee.
One minute later, Bencharki converted a penalty, giving his side an early lead.
Moroccan Winger Mohamed Ounajem had the chance to double the seal in the 21st minute, but his shot was blocked by the keeper.
In the 31st minute, Zamalek Fullback Ahmed Fatouh scored the second goal with a great individual effort, after easing-past three opponents and then firing home.
Smouha Winger Eslam Gamal had the chance to make it 2-1 just before the break, but Zamalek Keeper Mohamad Abou Gabal blocked his shot, sending the White Knights to the locker rooms with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Smouha Coach Ahmed Sami made a double substitution in the start of the second half in order to intensify his offense.
Striker Hossam Hassan stole his marker and sent a powerful shot, but his effort went wide.
On the other hand, Hamid Ahadad, Emam Ashour, and Hussein Faysal squandered three goal-scoring opportunities, with Ashour’s shot denied by the bar.
Following Monday's win, Zamalek advanced to second place, with seven points from three games, one point behind Smouha who played one match more.
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