Al-Zamalek regains its balance.. and Al-Ahly faces Zed

Al Ahly, the reigning Egyptian Premier League champions, regained their composure with a convincing 3-0 victory over hosts Al Ahly Bank in the second round of the tournament, played yesterday. Al Ahly scored all three goals in the second half, taking the lead through an own goal by Al Ahly Bank defender Mohamed Nasser in the 51st minute. Hossam Ashraf and Ahmed Abdel Raheem “Esho” added the second and third goals in the 86th and 95th minutes, respectively, in the match held at Cairo Stadium. The title holders secured their first win of the competition, moving up to four points after drawing 0-0 with Ismailia SC in the opening round.

In other Wednesday results, Smouha drew 0-0 with Petrojet Assiut, while Tala’ea El Gaish defeated Petrojet 3-2.

In the same round’s fixtures, Al Ahly will face Zamalek today at Cairo International Stadium, while Eastern Company will take on Enppi, Al Gouna will play against Al Ahly Canal, and Ismailia SC will face Ceramica Cleopatra.

Al Ahly began their league campaign with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Eastern Company. After falling behind by two goals, Al Ahly managed to turn the match around and secure their first win in the competition.

Al Ahly held their final training session yesterday under the guidance of Moroccan coach Housine Ammouta, who focused in recent days on correcting the mistakes evident in the Eastern Company match, particularly in defensive and offensive organization, as well as player positioning. The coaching staff also emphasized improving concentration and physical and technical readiness during recent training sessions, alongside implementing specific tactical patterns that Ammouta wishes to deploy against Zamalek.

The training sessions featured intense competition among players for places in the starting lineup, while Ammouta urged his players to approach the match with seriousness and full concentration from the opening whistle to the final one.