Zamalek's Forward Seifeddine Jaziri celebrates with his team mates after scoring a goal during the match with Al-Ahly on Monday 15 April, 2024. Photo courtesy of Zamalek.
Tunisian striker Seif Jaziri opened the scoring in the 44 th minute, while substitute winger Ahmed Abdel-Kader leveled the score in the 73 th minute.
Jaziri came to score the winner, three minutes from time.
This win is the first for the White Knights over Ahly in the domestic league since August 2020 when they claimed a 3-1 victory.
Zamalek have climbed to 10th place in the league table with 21 points from 13 matches on level with Ahly, who still have two matches in hand.
Pyramids FC, who defeated Arab Contractors 2-0 earlier on Monday, currently lead the table with 32 points from 15 games.
Facing numerous absences due to injuries, Ahly coach Marcel Koller made several changes to his starting lineup.
Karim Walid earned a rare start in the heart of the midfield alongside Ahmed Nabil, while fullback Omar Kamal, who impressed in the previous game against ZED FC, also received a rare opportunity as a winger.
On the other hand, Zamalek manager Jose Gomes opted to maintain almost the same squad that secured a 3-0 victory over Ittihad of Alexandria last week.
The White Knights started the game strongly and came close to taking an early lead when Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed failed to score from close range due to a timely intervention from Ahly defender Rami Rabie in the 7th minute.
Unfortunately for Zamalek, they not only missed this clear chance but also lost their ace, who was unable to complete the game due to injury.
This led to Uganda's youth player, Travis Mutyaba, entering the field in the 16th minute as a substitute.
Just before halftime, Tunisian striker Seif Jaziri received a nice pass from Nasser Maher, breaking the offside trap and beating Ahly goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir to give Zamalek the lead as both teams headed to the dressing room.
In the second half, Koller introduced the trio of Reda Slim, Wessam Ben Ali, and Amr El-Soulaya, which significantly improved Ahly's performance, especially considering the fatigue that affected Zamalek's midfielders.
Eight minutes into the second half, Seif Jaziri was awarded a penalty, but it was canceled after a VAR review.
In the 70th minute, Koller brought winger Ahmed Abdel-Qader onto the field to increase the pressure on Zamalek. Abdel-Qader rewarded his coach by scoring the equalizer, three minutes later, following a well-executed cross from another substitute, Slim.
As Ahly continued to push forward in search of a winning goal, Zamalek's striker Seif Jaziri struck again, adding the second goal just three minutes before the final whistle.
In the dying minutes, Mutyaba and substitute winger Sayed Abdallah had several attempts to score a third goal, but their lack of concentration prevented them from sealing the game before the six minutes of added time expired.
Nevertheless, the White Knights celebrated their rare victory.
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