Zamalek avenged last year’s defeat by Ahly in the Egyptian Super Cup by overcoming their bitter Cairo rivals in the same competition with a 4-3 shootout victory following a 0-0 draw in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Ahly had the better of the first half but couldn’t convert their chances while the second was a scrappy affair, with too many mis-placed passes disrupting the flow of the game.

The game went straight to penalties, where Zamalek prevailed with a comeback.

After both sides converted their first two spot-kicks, Zamalek’s Moroccan playmaker Achraf Bencharki had his effort saved by Ahly keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi.

But Ahly could not seize on the miss, with Mohamed Hani’s shot denied by a superb one-handed save from keeper Mohamed Abou-Gabal.

Defensive midfielder Tarek Hamed then found the top corner with a superb effort before Ahly’s new recruit Aliou Badji fired straight at Abou-Gabal, with Zamalek’s section of fans erupting into ecstasy.

Mahmoud Kahraba, an ex-Zamalek winger who made his first appearance against his former club after coming on as a second-half substitute, was also shown a red card by Norwegian referee Svein Oddvar for his part in the melee.

The win marks Zamalek’s second trophy in less than a week after they displayed a superb counter-attacking game to down Tunisia’s Esperance 3-1 in the African Super Cup on Friday.

They also atoned for their 3-2 loss to Ahly in the Egyptian Super Cup last September to take their tally to four trophies. Ahly are the record winners of the competition with 11 titles.

Both sides are also scheduled to meet in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday, although reports suggest the game might be postponed to give both sides adequate time to prepare for their African Champions League clashes later this month.