
Zamalek players celebrate after winger Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed scored the opening goal in his side's 2-1 win over Abu Qir Fertilizers in Egypt Cup round of 32 on Thursday. Photo: Zamalek's official X account.
Winger Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed opened the scoring in the 21st minute, while Mostafa Shalaby sealed the victory with a late strike in injury time.
Zizo broke the deadlock with a well-executed direct free kick that took a deflection off the Abu Qir defensive wall, leaving the goalkeeper helpless as the ball nestled into the corner of the net.
However, the Zamalek star missed a chance to double the lead in the 41st minute after failing to convert a penalty that goalkeeper El-Sawy superbly saved.
The White Knights finally doubled their advantage in the first minute of injury time through winger Mostafa Shalaby.
Shalaby latched onto Abdullah El-Said’s cross following a swift passing sequence, drove into the penalty area despite tight marking, and slotted the ball past El-Sawy into the bottom left corner with a composed finish.
Zamalek will now face Modern Sport FC in the next round, who advanced to this stage after a commanding 5-2 victory over El-Shams on Sunday.
The Cairo giants will be aiming to chase their 29th title of Egypt’s secondary club competition, looking to bounce back from last year’s disappointing exit after a shocking 5-3 penalty shootout defeat to Talae El-Geish, following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
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