Zamalek are inexorably moving up, Ahmed Morsy reports After securing their seventh consecutive win, this one at the expense of Petrojet, Zamalek boosted hopes of an Egyptian domestic football league title, their first since 2004. After 19 games, Zamalek have 33 points, seven points behind league leaders and arch-rivals Ahli. The loss kept Petrojet in second place with 35 points. Eleven games remain in the season. By the end of 2009, Zamalek found themselves in the extraordinary situation of being relegated to the second division, however, under coach Hossam Hassan, their third this season, their fortunes have swung dramatically. Although Ahli remain favourites to win a sixth consecutive league title, Zamalek's sudden resurgence must be of some concern to the famed red shirts. The Cairo giants once again produced a ruthless display to overcome a stubborn Petrojet with a 3-2 win in Suez on Sunday. Hussein Yasser, who joined Zamalek as a free agent from Ahli in January, made his first start after putting in some fine displays off the bench. He played alongside Shikabala to support lone striker Ahmed Gaafar, the only reliable striker at Hassan's disposal. The first half was an evenly-balanced contest with both sides struggling to break down the opposing defence. Zamalek took the lead though after 18 minutes through a superb free kick. A touched-on free kick went to Shikabala, who released Sabri Rahil down the left with a deft first-time pass. Rahil, who deputised for the suspended Mohamed Abdel-Shafi, pulled the ball back to Gaafar to send a half volley past Petrojet keeper Ahmed Fawzi. Petrojet equalised a few minutes later when Eric Bekoe sent keeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed the wrong way from the spot after central defender Amr El-Safti needlessly fouled Petrojet playmaker Walid Suleiman. Zamalek gained the upper hand after the break, thanks to some sharp combinations between Gaafar, Yasser and Shikabala. Consequently, Shikabala put Zamalek in front again with a fine low shot from the edge of the area after a clever dummy from Gaafar. In the 83rd minute, Shikabala lofted the ball over a challenger to find pace right-back Ahmed Ghanem, who ran down the right flank, skipped past Osama Mohamed and reached the by-line. Ghanem waited until Fawzi rushed out of his goal before sending a low cross to Gaafar for an easy tap in, taking his tally to seven goals in as many games. Petrojet were awarded another penalty just before the final whistle when substitute Ahmed Magdi handled a cross inside the area. Bekoe converted the ensuing penalty for his league leading 13th goal but Zamalek held on for a precious win. Though Hassan had several reservations about his team's performance, he was satisfied with the result. "On the whole, I'm satisfied although some weaknesses appeared in the first half. But now we can confidently say that Zamalek will secure one of the two top places as is normally the case," Hassan said after the match. "Every match we have two or three of our players booked which makes our mission a lot harder," he told the post-match press conference. "Referees have to tone it down a bit." Hassan added that Zamalek are now capable of beating any Egyptian team after winning seven successive games under his tutelage. However, Zamalek still have stern tests ahead of them, including Ismaili, Spinning Mehalla and Haras Al-Hedoud away. Elsewhere, Ismaili extended their winless streak to three matches after being held to a 1-1 draw by Enppi on Sunday. Ismaili are in fourth place on 33 points, behind third-placed Zamalek on goal difference. Enppi, who have won only one game in their last four under their new Bulgarian coach Stoycho Mladenov, are ninth on 25 points. Ismaili had to do without Egypt's national keeper Essam El-Hadari, who is protesting against the club's failure to pay him in full. Still, Ismaili managed to take the lead after seven minutes when midfielder Abdullah Shahat robbed Abdel-Aziz Tawfik on the edge of the area and drilled a powerful drive into the bottom corner. Enppi were initially awarded a penalty in the 63rd minute after Ismaili defender Ibrahim Yehia clumsily felled winger Islam Awad. Mohamed Sobhi, deputising for El-Hadari, blocked Adel Mustafa's effort but the referee pointed to the spot again when Awad, who was on the verge of notching home the rebound, was fouled by Yehia again. Tawfik stepped up this time to convert the penalty and restore parity. Ismaili once again suffered from the lack of a reliable striker as Ahmed Ali and Mohamed Mohsen Abou Greisha failed to trouble Enppi's defence. They were unlucky not to secure a valuable win though in the dying seconds when Ali's curling free kick struck the crossbar.
