Zamalek lose 2-0 to Smouha in the Egyptian Premier League (Ahram)
After a drab first half in which the only highlight was a Zamalek goal that was disallowed for offside following a lengthy VAR review, Smouha exposed their illustrious opponents' defensive frailties to claim all three points.
Zamalek spurned a couple of goal-scoring chances and were punished when Sodiq Awujoola put Smouha ahead with a powerful shot on 65 minutes.
As the White Knights poured forward in search of an equaliser, Smouha were awarded a penalty after a swift breakaway, which Moroccan winger Abdelkabir El Ouadi tucked away to kill off Zamalek's hopes.
Joint leaders Zamalek, who suffered their second league defeat in nine matches this season, missed out on the chance of moving clear on top as they remain level on 19 points with perennial Cairo rivals Ahly, who have two games in hand.
Smouha, who secured their first win over Zamalek in five years, moved up to third with 18 points.
Kept on bench
With an eye on the upcoming African Champions League match away to Angola's Sagrada Esperanca on Saturday, especially after Zamalek were held to a 2-2 home draw by Petro Atletico in their opening group-stage game, Carteron kept the likes of Achraf Bencharki, Emam Ashour and Ahmed Zizo on the bench.
Zamalek were toothless in a first half low on quality but thought they had gone ahead after 25 minutes when forward Youssef 'Obama' Ibrahim slotted home on the rebound after keeper El-Hani Soliman fumbled at a header from defender Mohamed Abdel-Ghani.
However, the referee disallowed the goal after a VAR review that lasted over four minutes, with Obama appearing marginally offside.
Zamalek looked lively in the early stages of the second half, with Ivorian winger Razack Cisse having a header tipped onto the bar by Soliman, who also smothered a shot from veteran winger Mahmoud Shikabala.
Cisse was guilty of another miss in the 57th minute when substitute Zizo played him in but he dithered on the ball and his eventual tame effort was easily saved.
Awujoola scored against the run of play with a piledriver that Zamalek keeper Mohamed Awad failed to deal with after the Nigerian ran towards the edge of the area unopposed.
Abdel-Ghani was the culprit for the second with 12 minutes remaining, playing Guinean forward Alia Sylla onside before tracking back and felling him.
El Ouadi sent Awad the wrong way to end the game as a contest, with even the likes of Bencharki, Zizo and Ashour failing to spur Zamalek into action following their introduction.
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