Zamalek SC beat Al Ahly 2-1 in the Egyptian Premier Thursday at Cairo International Stadium to break an eleven-year wait for victory over their bitter rivals in the Cairo derby.
Two first half goals from Kabongo Kasongo and Ayman Hefny sealed the memorable win for the Whites, who have been living in the Shadows of their Cairo rivals in the past few seasons.
Walid Soliman gabbed the consolation for Ahly deep into the second half but the damage was already done.
The triumph was a sweet revenge for Zamalek, who lost to the Red Devils 3-0 in the first leg encounter.
“I told the players to concentrate on making the Zamalek fans happy, without paying attention to plans or tactics,” Zamalek’s interim coach Khaled Galal told KingFut.com.
He added, “The game may not affect the league table but it affected our supporters.”
Zamalek are currently placed 4th in the 18-team table standings and are fighting to remain there so that they can secure CAF Confederation Cup football next year.
The match was Cairo derby’s 160th overall and the win took Zamalek’s tally of wins in the Africa’s biggest derby to 37.
Ahly, who went into the battle as the 2017/18 champions still boast majority victories with 66 wins with rest 57 encounters being draws.
Ahly’s coach Hossam El-Badry blamed his charges for complacency in the loss.
“We entered the game very relaxed despite my warnings to the players, which led to the mistakes which led to Zamalek scoring two goals,” the gaffer said.
Only 300 invited fans per team were allowed to watch the match as the ban on supporters continue to bite.
