CAIRO - Zamalek retained their six-point advantage over Al-Ahly after the Cairo rivals settled for a goalless draw in a dull derby in the Egyptian Premier League on Thursday at Cairo International Stadium. The white Knights have 31 points from 14 games, five ahead of Ismaili and Enppi, who lie second and third respectively. Ahly are fourth on 25 points. Chances were few and far between in a tactical affair which was barely entertaining to the enthusiastic crowd. Ahly's Mohamed Abou-Treika and Zamalek's Shikabala shouldered their clubs' hopes of claiming all three points but neither was able to live up to expectations. Ahly, who haven't tasted defeat against Zamalek since 2007, are likely to dispense with interim coach Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi 'Zizo, with Portuguese Manuel Jose favourite to take over for a third stint at the helm of Egypt's most successful club. Zamalek might be disappointed at failing to make the most of Ahly's current poor run but they can take heart from a comfortable lead over the Red Devils as they seek to win their first league title since 2004. Al-Ahly and Zamalek were cautious in the first-half, defending in numbers to close down spaces, Filgoal reports. Zamalek surprisingly played without a recognised striker as coach Hossam Hassan seemingly favoured a free-flowing football through the introduction of pacey attacking midfielders Shikabala, Hazem Emam and Mohamed Ibrahim. But they hardly made an impact, thanks in part to a muddy pitch and Zamalek's needless reliance on long balls which kept Ahly's defenders comfortable throughout the first period. Zamalek's sole chance fell to Emam after just four minutes when he broke clear after latching onto a defense-splitting pass but he dithered on the ball to allow Ahly's Wael Gomaa to clear the danger. Ahly looked more compact but could not also threaten Zamalek keeper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayyed. Mohamed Talaat played as a lone frontman and his energetic performance kept Zamalek defenders on their toes but he was guilty of spurning a golden opportunity just before the break. He was found unmarked by a neat long pass from Mohamed Abou-Treika but his poor attempt to control the ball let Al-Sayyed gather it easily. Hassan introduced towering striker Ahmed Gaafar instead of Emam in the second half but he had a quiet game as Ahly took control. Al-Ahly had the better possession and tried their luck from distance on a couple of occasions but never looked like scoring as the disappointing match ended goalless.
