Knocking on the title door

By Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
photo: Mohamed Mos'ad
photo: Abdel-Hamid Eid
Zamalek players determined to keep the ball and win
It was a night filled with red and white, the colours of Zamalek's flag which had flown at half-mast for seven years, the period in which famous rival Ahli had a hammerlock on the football premier league. But the flag was fluttering high on Friday -- waved by thousands of cheering Zamalek supporters in Cairo Stadium and on the streets -- after Zamalek crushed Ahli 3-1 and in the process virtually sealed the league title. Ahead by seven points and only five games left, Zamalek must now be the odds-on favourite. On paper, Ahli still has a chance, but realistically-- Zamalek needs just 10 more points to lift the title -- the championship has all but been conceded.
Zamalek made full use of their newest signing, Hazim Emam, and their oldest player, Hossam Hassan, who was facing his former club Ahli for the first time since a controversial transfer last summer.
Hassan had been savaged in the press for the better part of the week for doing next to nothing in a World Cup qualifier against Namibia but he and Emam combined for two of Zamalek's goals, the first coming in just the fourth minute. Emam, a former Zamalek midfielder who signed on the dotted line for his old club just this week after several years playing in Italy and Holland, connected with Hassan for the opening strike. Hassan met Emam's cross with a powerful header which bounced past goalkeeper Essam El-Hadari.
Ahli tied in the 36th minute when defender Beshir El-Tabei failed to control a low cross from the left. El-Tabei had trapped the ball while facing his goal but instead of playing it safe by kicking it afar, he attempted a 180-degree turn. He never quite made it. The ball was stolen by Alaa Ibrahim who executed what El-Tabei could not, pirouetting around the awkward defender before firing into the net from close range.
In the second half, Ahli mounted two spirited drives. Samir Kamouna's long-range shot brushed past the left post. Khaled Bibo then manufactured a brilliant run from midfield and advanced well into enemy territory before passing to an unmarked Ibrahim. But slow of foot, Ibrahim waited a fraction too long, long enough for Medhat Abdel-Hadi to clear the ball from the goalline.
It would be the turning point of the match. A few moments later, Abdel-Hadi was upfield, directing a header into the Ahli goal after being set up by a Khalid El-Ghandour cross from a free kick. Instead of Ahli up by a goal, it became Zamalek 2-1 in the 50th minute.
Zamalek's insurance goal came in the 80th minute. Again Emam and Hassan provided the one-two punch. Ahli's defenders, who by this time had all gone upfield in search of the equaliser, were nowhere near their goal when Hassan collected an Emam cross and had all the time in the world before slotting it home to the right of a diving El-Hadari.
The goal was redemption for Hassan who had been vilified in the press with calls that at the age of 35, he should retire.
His twin, Ibrahim, incensed by the criticism, made a beeline for the sidelines, hurling epithets at members of the press box which could clearly be heard on television. The behaviour netted him a three-month suspension and a LE10,000 fine.
"I thank God we won and too bad for Ahli," a teary-eyed Hossam told reporters after the match in which he was roundly booed by supporters of Ahli, the club he played in for 15 years. "I would appreciate it if all journalists leave me and Ibrahim alone," added Hassan, who had announced he was retiring from international football. But after his two-goal blitz against Ahli, he probably will have second thoughts about hanging up his boots just yet.
"It was a good game but luck played an important part in our defeat," said Osama Orabi, Ahli's assistant coach. "Alaa Ibrahim should have scored."
Hugh Dallas of Scotland, who officiated a 1998 Ahli-Zamalek match, returned for a repeat performance. Although the game was clean, he booked eight players, four from each side.
After the match Zamalek's players refused bonus money because they said it was their duty to win. "We're proud to have beaten Ahli and we present the win as a humble gift to our fans," said team captain El-Ghandour.
Ahli defender Ibrahim Said, who absconded to Belgium a few days before the match, was sorely missed. The zone he normally patrols was wide open, evidenced by how close Zamalek's players were to the goal when they scored.
"Said deserted us at a crucial time and there is no place in Ahli for ungrateful players without proper punishment being meted out first," Tareq Selim, Ahli football manager said in a press conference earlier in the week.
Friday's encounter was the 87th league clash between Egypt's football powerhouses. Ahli has won 29 and Zamalek 20 while 38 ended in a draw.
Ahli's loss not only dropped it further away from the league lead but enabled third-place Misri to close the gap with Ahli to four points. Misri trounced Tersana 3-0 in Port Said to also bolster its chances of a CAF Cup place next season.
Mansoura beat Ittihad 2-0, Mehalla trounced struggling Sohag Railways 3-1, Maadin edged lowly Kuroum 1-0 and fifth place Qanah continued its impressive run, getting by Dina 1-0 in an away match.
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