Cairo Stadium-Ahmad Saied: Zamalek coach Manuel Cajuda said that the surprise 1-1 draw against Asyut Petroleum was a result of his players' below-par performance in the first-half. The Cairo giants finished the first-half a goal down, courtesy of Asyut's Sami Abou-Zeid, but substitute Amr Zaki saved Zamalek's blushes when he struck a 71st minute equalizer. “The team played very well in the second-half, but there wasn't enough time to make up for our mistakes before the interval,” Cajuda told a news conference after Sunday's game. The Portuguese manager also criticized the match referee. “I understand that Asyut players had to waste time in order to come out with the best result, but the referee has to take some action,” Cajuda said.
Salama Cajuda insisted the draw did not affect Zamalek's title chances. On the other hand, Asyut coach Anwar Salama was happy with the result, noting that his team got what they came to Cairo for. “I told coach Cajuda before the game that I will snatch a point from him… and I did,” said an ecstatic Salama. Salama said that the result was more than satisfactory given the experience and talent of Zamalek's players. Asyut club's board issued an EGP 1,000 bonus for its players after the draw, which earned the team only their second point of the competition.
