Hamoudi scores twice on Zamalek debut to down Sfaxien in Confed Cup

A second-half double from substitute Ahmed Hamoudi takes Zamalek to the top of Group B in the Confederation Cup

On-loan Basel midfielder Ahmed Hamoudi marked his Zamalek debut with a brace to lead his side to a 3-1 victory against Sfaxien away from home in the Confederation Cup group stage.
Hamoudi, signed in the summer on a season-long loan, came off the bench in the 68th minute to give Zamalek the victory that took them to the top of Group B after they had already guaranteed a semi-final berth.
His double came from set pieces though, with an 80th-minute free kick flying into the far corner of the net, before a stoppage-time penalty ensured Zamalek beat their Tunisian rivals home and away.
Another summer-signing to bag his maiden Zamalek goal was fellow ex-Swiss league forward Mahmoud 'Kahraba', who opened the scoring nine minutes after the break before Ali Maaloul equalized via a controversial penalty eight minutes later.
Zamalek are now level on 12 points with Orlando Pirates, who also made it to the competition's semis, but the Cairo giants have a better head-to-head record having beaten the South Africans 2-1 in Johannesburg. They meet in the last group game to determine who will qualify as the leaders.
Hamoudi the super sub
The match kicked off with Egypt winger Kahraba drawing gasps from the small Zamalek contingent with his mesmerizing skills, which saw him evade several challengers brilliantly early on, but failed to round off his efforts with a goal.
Zamalek were then relatively in control, but returning keeper Ahmed El-Shennawi was called into action in the 20th minute to deny Maaloul's powerful strike from inside the area, in what was the beginning of a series of brilliant saves.
But the Whites' opener was to come after the interval, with right-back Ahmed Tawfik threading a silky through ball for striker Bassem Morsi who was denied by the keeper as Kahraba made no mistake on the rebound.
Minutes later, however, Tawfik was adjudged to have fouled an opponent inside the area as Maaloul beat El-Shennawi from the spot.
The introduction of debutant Hamoudi then proved the turning point, having seen his swerving free kick nestle into the net to restore his side's one-goal cushion.
The ex-Smouha man then put the game to bed from the spot to kick off his Zamalek career in the best of fashions.
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