The exhilarating clash took place at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday and witnessed Zamalek's quartet of Mostafa Shalaby, Nabil Emad, Ibrahima Ndiaye, and Ahmed "Zizo" El Sayed finding the back of the net, while Ceramica managed to equalize twice through John Ebuka and Sodiq Awujoola.
Zamalek entered the game amidst a period of turmoil after boycotting the previous game against Ahly in protest of what they claimed to be 'lack of fair play' in the competition.
This led to their match against arch-rivals Ahly being forfeited and resulted in a three-point deduction and a fine for their withdrawal. However, they showed resilience and determination on the field.
The opening goal arrived just four minutes into the match when winger Zizo received a precise cross from right-back Mohamed Shehata on the left side of the box.
Mostafa Shalaby rose above the defense and unleashed a powerful header, giving Zamalek an early advantage.
Despite this early breakthrough, Zamalek struggled to penetrate Ceramica Cleopatra's solid defense, while the visitors relied on swift counterattacks.
In the 21st minute, Ceramica managed to equalize through John Ebuka, who received a pass from Awujoola inside the box and confidently slotted the ball into the net with his right foot.
Buoyed by the equalizer, Ceramica pressed forward, aiming to seize control and double their lead, with both their Nigerian attacking duo proving threatening.
However, Zamalek's defense held firm.
Four minutes before half-time, midfielder Nabil Emad restored the lead for Zamalek when he capitalized on a rebound from Ceramica goalkeeper Mohamed Bassam, who had blocked Nasser Maher's powerful shot, and skillfully struck the ball into the net from inside the box with his right foot.
In the dying moments of the first half, Zamalek was awarded a penalty following a foul on Nasser Maher inside the area. However, after a VAR check, the penalty was overturned.
During injury time, Zamalek launched a determined offensive to score the third goal, but their efforts were thwarted.
Just one minute into the second half, Zamalek came close to extending their lead when defender Omar Gaber received a cross from Shalaby on the left side of the box.
However, Gaber's right-footed shot veered wide to the left. Despite this opportunity, Ceramica maintained control of the game and continued to pose threats to Zamalek's goal.
At the hour mark, Ceramica coach Ayman Ramadi introduced Mohamed Ibrahim and Ahmed Yasser as substitutes for Ahmed Belhadji and John Ebuka, respectively, in an effort to rejuvenate their attacking force.
The change proved fruitful as twelve minutes later, Awujoola scored a remarkable header from inside the box, capitalizing on Yasser's cross from the left side to restore parity.
In the 75th minute, Zamalek coach Jose Gomez injected fresh energy into his squad by bringing on Ziad Kamal and Ammar Yasser as substitutes for Nasser Maher and Youssef Ibrahim.
Nine minutes later, Gomez made another impactful substitution, introducing Mohamed Atef and Ibrahima Ndiaye to bolster the team's attacking prowess.
With just a minute remaining in regulation time, Senegalese midfielder Ndiaye propelled Zamalek back into the lead, when he received a precise pass from Zizo inside the box and confidently slotted the ball into the net with his right foot.
Two minutes later, Ndiaye turned provider, assisting Zizo, who unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from inside the box, finding the center of the goal.
In the seventh minute of injury time, Zizo came close to adding a fifth goal for Zamalek, but his right-footed shot from outside the box was saved by the goalkeeper in the center of the goal.
Following this thrilling victory, Zamalek climbed to 8th place in the league standings with 37 points from 22 games.
Meanwhile, Ceramica Cleopatra dropped to 10th place with 37 points from 27 games.
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