Chances were at a premium in a drab affair at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium, with Zamalek extending their unbeaten run to 14 games.

The White Knights also settled for a 1-1 draw with Ittihad in their previous game last Tuesday, which saw euphoric celebrations after the club were confirmed as champions a day earlier when nearest challengers Pyramids lost 1-0 to Future FC

Zamalek's coach Jesualdo Ferreira decided to give his key players some rest after the club wrapped up the title with three games to spare.

The team's line-up featured four youngsters plus some of those who have largely played a bit-part role under the veteran Portuguese coach.

Masry, who lie ninth in the table, took the game to Zamalek and relied on some long balls to breach their opponent's high backline.

However, they only had a solitary clear-cut chance when Amr Hassan was released by one of those upfield passes on 27 minutes, only to hit the side netting from a tight angle.

Zamalek went close once when a shot from midfielder Seif Gaafar went just over the crossbar five minutes later.

Both sides eased off after the break, with Zamalek finishing with ten men on the field after substitute Tarek Alaa, another youngster, received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on an opponent three minutes from time.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)