Despite the victory, Zesco United remain bottom of the table with three points and are eliminated.
However, the result complicated the standings for the remaining three teams.
The Whites are second in Group D standings with 8 points, two behind leaders South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs who beat Masry (2-1) now falling to third place with seven points.
Zamalek now face a must-win home fixture against leaders Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday to guarantee their spot in the knockout stages.
The match began tentatively, with both sides struggling to find rhythm as play remained congested in the midfield.
The hosts nearly broke the deadlock four minutes before the interval when winger Mutoshi saw his header from inside the box whistle just over the crossbar.
Seeking more composure, Zamalek coach Motamed Gamal introduced midfielder Mohamed Shehata for Youssef Wael at the start of the second half, hoping to inject veteran experience into the squad.
A second-half penalty
Zesco United thought they had taken the lead in the 57th minute through striker Siankombo, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
The pressure eventually told two minutes later when Zamalek’s young defender Ahmed Khodry conceded a penalty for a foul on Emanuel Manda inside the area.
Forward Amine Hiver stepped up in the 62nd minute, coolly slotting the penalty into the bottom left corner.
Gamal rolled the dice late on, bringing on El Sayed Osama, Mohamed El Sayed, and Mohamed Hamdi to find an equalizer.
The White Knights came agonizingly close in stoppage time when defender Hossam Abdelmaguid unleashed a powerful strike from inside the box, only to see it rattle the crossbar.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: