CAIRO: Substitute Osama Hosni scored twice in the second-half of extra time as Ahli edged past Zamalek 4-3 in a thrilling encounter to secure the Egyptian Cup title and complete the treble for the second successive season. Zamalek striker Amr Zaki broke the deadlock five minutes after re-start but was cancelled out by Emad Meteb seven minutes later. Substitute Mahmoud Abdul-Razeq Shikabala restored the lead for Zamalek five minutes past the hour mark but Mohamed Abou-Treika grabbed the equalizer again three minutes from time. Gamal Hamza notched Zamalek s third in the 99th minute but Hosni s two successive efforts early in the second half of extra time thwarted the whites efforts and gave Ahli the victory. The Red Devils have concluded a memorable season, having won the league, the cup, the CAF Champions League as well as finishing third in the World Club Cup. Ahli secured their 35th cup title while Zamalek have ended the season empty-handed, failing to end the three-year title-drought. Zamalek coach Henri Michel surprisingly left out Shikabala out of his starting line-up, although the talented winger was labeled as the whites main threat in the match. Skipper Hazem Emam was introduced instead of the pacey wide-man while Alaa Abdul-Ghani partnered Tamer Abdul-Hamid in the heart of Zamalek s midfield as both of them recovered from injuries. On the other hand, Ahli boss Manuel Jose stuck with the formation he used against Ismaili in the semi-final, deploying Mohamed Barakat in the left-flank but the veteran midfield constantly cut inside to support attacking trio Meteb, Flavio and Abou-Treika. Ahli had the first sight of goal after 11 minutes when Meteb narrowly failed to connect with Abou-Treika s inch-perfect cross from the right flank. Emam tried to respond with successive shots, but his attempts did not bother Ahli keeper Amir Abdul-Hamid. Zamalek right-back Ahmed Ghanem sent several dangerous crosses but neither Zaki nor Hamza was able to get to the end of any cross. In the 26th minute, Flavio tricked Amr Al-Safti inside the area but sent a weak curling shot that missed the target. Three minutes later, Abou-Treika brilliantly dribbled past two defenders and seemed to be on his way clear on goal but, under pressure from Al-Safti, his low shot went wide. Zamalek s only golden opportunity in the first-half came in the 33rd minute after Hamza s superb chip picked out the unmarked Zaki, whose side-footed kick from close range went just wide of the post. Abou-Treika responded few moments later when his powerful first-timer from inside the area was blocked by Zamalek keeper Mohamed Abdul-Monsef. Unmarked Ahli defender Emad Al-Nahhas almost broke the deadlock in the 36th minute when he connected with Flavio s cross to send a close-range header that went just over the bar. Three minutes before halftime, a mis-timed tackle by Zamalek left-back Tarek Al-Sayed released Flavio, who could only hit a right-footed low shot that narrowly missed the target. Zamalek were dealt a blow during the interval as Tunisian defender Wissem El-Abdi had to be replaced after sustaining an injury, making way for Ahmed Hossam. However, Zaki put Zamalek ahead in the 50th minute when he capitalized on dreadful errors by Shadi Mohamed, Al-Nahhas and keeper Abdul-Hamid. Both defenders didn t deal with a long ball from Abdul-Monsef into Ahli s area, waiting for an interception from Abdul-Hamid, whose delayed move allowed Zaki to pounce as he rose to head into the back of the net. Meteb leveled the score seven minutes later when he latched onto a flick on from Flavio to race through on goal and fire a powerful drive into the top corner of the net. Shikabala replaced the out-of-form Emam as Michel tried to regain Zamalek s attacking power. The former PAOK Saloniki man rewarded the French tactician after scoring in the 65th minute, few minutes after his introduction, with a superb low bullet that went into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area. Zamalek were forced into another substitution after Abdul-Hamid was injured. Natural left-back Osama Hassan was introduced. Ahli dominated the rest of the second-half and wasted several opportunities to level the score as Zamalek s weak defense couldn t deal with their opponents attacking waves. Zamalek were ready to celebrate their first title in three years but Abou-Treika thwarted their hopes with a close-range shot three minutes before the final whistle after being set-up by Mohamed Shawki s low cross. But Zamalek were ahead again in the 99th minute, thanks to Hamza who controlled Shikabala s low cross inside the area and span around to hit a stunning drive that left Abdul-Hamid with no chance. However, Hosni, who replaced Flavio, scored twice in the space of two minutes to send Ahli fans into ecstasy. In the 166th minute, he lost his marker Ahmed Hossam and cut ahead of Abdul-Monsef to head home after being set-up by Abou-Treika s wonderful long pass. He grabbed what proved to be the winner shortly after with another header after connecting with Ahmed Sedik s cross. Zaki was sent-off just before the end for using an abusive language towards the referee.
