Al Ahly beat Zamalek 2-0 to move provisionally top of Egyptian Premier League
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Al Ahly moved provisionally to the top of the Egyptian Premier League on Sunday after beating Zamalek 2-0 in the 133rd Cairo derby, a result that also handed their rivals a first league defeat of the season. Al Ahly finished Matchday 6 on 16 points, three ahead of Zamalek, with Pyramids still due to play Ceramica Cleopatra on Monday.
The contest remained open well into the second half, with Zamalek given a route back into the match despite trailing at the interval. Their clearest opportunity came shortly after the restart when Ahmed Sherif directed a header toward goal, only for Mostafa Shobeir to keep it out and preserve Al Ahly's advantage.
Al Ahly then gained fresh attacking momentum from Hussein Ammouta's substitutions. Algerian forward Monsef Bakrar, introduced during the second half, made the decisive impact in the 80th minute when he converted a low effort from the edge of the area following a pass from Ahmed Sayed “Zizo.” It was Bakrar's first goal for the club.
Earlier, Mohamed Hany had broken the deadlock in the 39th minute with a long-range strike that changed direction off a Zamalek player before beating goalkeeper Mohamed El Mahdy. The goal was Hany's first in a league derby against Zamalek.
The victory gave Al Ahly their 53rd league win over Zamalek, compared with 29 for the White Knights, while 51 meetings have ended in draws. It also marked a winning first Cairo derby for Ammouta as Al Ahly head coach.
With the result, Al Ahly have put early pressure on the teams around them at the top of the table, although the leadership could change again after Monday's remaining fixtures.
