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Toothless Zamalek held by El-Geish Leaders Zamalek give arch-rivals Ahly the chance to move top following a goalless draw at home to El-Geish in the Egyptian Premier League
A toothless Zamalek side missed out on the chance of moving three points clear of second-placed Ahly after failing to break down El-Geish in a goalless draw in Monday's Egyptian Premier League tie at Cairo Stadium. Zamalek, missing a reliable striker, huffed and puffed throughout the 90 minutes but were easily contained by the defensive-minded El-Geish, who were happy to share honors at the final whistle. The surprise draw will set the alarm bells ringing over whether leaders Zamalek can end a league drought stretching back to 2004. Ahly, who are chasing a seventh consecutive league crown, can move two points clear at the top if they beat ENPPI on Tuesday. Disappointing Kone Ivorian Abou Kone, who was the only recognized striker at the disposal of coach Hossam Hassan, spearheaded Zamalek's attack in the first half but he once again failed to make his presence felt. In-form winger Mahmoud Abdel-Razek ‘Shikabala' was the architect of Zamalek's forays into El-Geish's area in the first quarter of an hour, during which the hosts wasted two goal-scoring opportunities. Shikabala skipped past a couple of challengers on the edge of the area and released Qatari attacking midfielder Hussein Yasser with a defense-splitting pass but his weak shot was easily collected by the keeper. Few minutes later, Kone, who vowed before the match to ‘live up to the expectations of Zamalek fans', latched onto a Shikabala flick but his mis-hit shot went wide of the post. Zamalek could have also opened the scoring seven minutes before the break when central midfielder Hani Saied rose unmarked to meet a precise Shikabala free-kick with a free header that went over the bar. The hosts dominated the second half but remained toothless as they failed to carve out spaces in El-Geish's backline, relying on the dead ball abilities of the likes of Shikabala and defender Mahmoud Fathallah instead. However, their inaccurate free-kicks hardly troubled El-Geish's custodian. Zamalek's best chance in the second half fell to the lively Shikabala, who dribbled past a defender and broke clear of defense following a brilliant solo effort in the 75th minute but his left foot shot from inside the area narrowly missed the target. Lack of depth in Zamalek's squad forced Hossam Hassan to introduce inexperienced duo Wagih Abdel-Azim and 18-year-old forward Hassan Youssef but neither made a tangible impact as El-Geish remained largely untroubled at the back. The visitors also wasted a chance to notch a decisive winner in the latter stages when a counter attack released Ghanaian striker Ernest Papa Arko, whose attempted lob missed the target. El-Geish kept their composure in the six-minute stoppage time to secure a share of spoils and deal a blow to Zamalek's hopes of ending a long wait for the prestigious title.
