Zamalek grabbed a morale-boosting 3-1 win over third-division side Sharqeya to ease into the Egypt Cup round of 16 and hand new coach Patrice Carteron a winning start on Wednesday. A brace from Moroccan forward Achraf Bencharki and a goal from Tunisian midfielder Ferjani Sassi lifted the defending champions through, easing a mini-crisis. The Cairo club parted company with Serbian coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic earlier this week after a poor run saw them lose to Enppi in the Egyptian Premier League before suffering an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at TP Mazembe in the African Champions League. They immediately brought Carteron, a former coach of Zamalek's Cairo foes Ahly, as a replacement. The Frenchman presided over a straightforward win over Sharqeya but his first real test will come against Angola's Primeiro de Agosto in the Champions League on Saturday. Zamalek needed 24 minutes to break the resistance of Sharqeya, Bencharki volleying into an empty net on the rebound after striker Omar El-Said missed an open net following a counter attack, his effort hitting the woodwork. Sassi, who is yet to regain the form that saw him produce a series of impressive displays last season, doubled the lead four minutes before the break with a free header following a cross from the right. Bencharki ended the match as a contest in the 77th minute with a composed finish following a cut-back from substitute Ahmed Sayed. Ali El-Ganayni headed home a consolation for Sharqeya in stoppage time. Zamalek won six out of the last seven editions of the Egypt Cup, the country's secondary competition. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
