In the biggest football derby in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world, Zamalek went ahead in the 32nd minute when defender Hossam Abdel-Meguid converted a retaken penalty. Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shennawi had initially saved Abdullah Al-Said’s first attempt, only for VAR to rule a replay due to encroachment.
But Ahly turned the tables in the second half with two rapid-fire goals. Substitute Hussein Al-Shahat scores the equaliser from close range in the 71st minute after being set up by Mohamed Sherif.
Just seven minutes later, Mahmoud Trezeguet scored from the spot after Al-Shahat was brought down following a clumsy tackle from Zamalek’s Moroccan fullback Mahmoud Ben Tayg.
Although Ahly were missing Emam Ashour and Zizo, two of their biggest stars, because of illness and injury respectively, Al-Shahat, who came on in the 68th minute, made up for their absence with his immediate impact on the scoreline which won him the MVP of the game.
Now, after nine games, Zamalek lead the table with 17 points, two ahead of Ahly who have played a game less.
Ahly next face Kahraba Ismailya on Saturday, while Zamalek take on Ghazl Al-Mahalla earlier the same day.
With the win, Ahly extended their dominance in league encounters with Zamalek, having now won 51 of their 131 league meetings. Zamalek have won 29 times, with 51 matches ending in draws.
Ahly’s interim head coach Emad Al-Nahhas said the 2-1 victory over rivals Zamalek marked a significant turning point for the team, praising his players’ focus and determination in the high-stakes derby.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Al-Nahhas congratulated Ahly “and our fans. The players showed great focus, resilience, and the ability to come from behind. We had in-depth discussions before the match, and even after conceding a penalty in the first half, we managed to regain control and dominate.”
“Small details decide big games, and thankfully things went our way,” Al-Nahhas said.
If reports are correct, Ahly are on the verge of hiring former Midtjylland manager Thomas Thomasberg to be the team’s new coach.
Thomasberg left his position at Midtjylland in August 2025, despite an impressive record of wins and four draws from 13 games, with no losses.
The 50-year-old began his managerial career in 2008 with Midtjylland before stints at FC Hjorring and FC Fredericia in the Danish league.
Ahly have been searching for a new coach since the departure of Spanish boss Jose Riveiro on 31 August following a poor start to their Egyptian Premier League campaign.
Al-Nahhas was appointed to take over in the meantime.
Monday’s Cairo derby was significant not only because it is the oldest rivalry in the Arab world but because of what happened the last time the two met.
Last season, on 11 March Ahly failed to show up for the highly-anticipated encounter, protesting over the refusal of the Egyptian Premier League (EPL) to appoint a foreign refereeing crew for the match.
For its part, the EPL stated that due to the congested schedule, they were unable to accommodate Ahly’s request, calling it “a legitimate demand for all clubs”. The EPL acknowledged “that Ahly’s request was made in pursuit of fairness rather than to create a crisis or refuse to play the derby”.
As a result, Ahly were deemed to have forfeited the match 3-0 in Zamalek’s favour which collected three free points for not playing.
But no points were deducted from Ahly, which raised an outcry from title contenders Pyramids FC and Zamalek.
Zamalek issued a statement rejecting the EPL’s decision and threatening to escalate the matter both domestically and internationally. The club criticised the league’s handling of the competition, calling it unprofessional and describing the situation as “chaotic and absurd.”
Pyramids FC also condemned the ruling, arguing that it reflected inconsistency and unfairness, adding that Zamalek had faced punishment last season for a no-show against Ahly and were deducted three points.
At that point, the Egyptian Football Association’s (EFA) appeals committee added that any affected parties may appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), saying it was the only body with the jurisdiction to invalidate any article in the Egyptian League’s bylaws.
So, whereas Ahly were crowned last season’s champions, that is only on Egyptian paper. The CAS has yet to issue a ruling which could take months more.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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